Naptime Blog

If you have been following along on Naptime Blog since its first few months, you will remember back to one of my first blog posts, Happy First Birthday, My Dear Sweet Boys!  That was in July of 2009.  My boys are now THREE and I cannot believe how fast time flies!  Some parts of the last three years seem like a blur, as the days just go by so quickly and who has time to sit and take it all in sometimes?  But the memories of my two tiny sweet potatoes are so precious, and as they celebrate another birthday, I cannot help but think back to their birth day, and how amazing it was to hold not one,  but  TWO tiny miracles for the first time.

 July, 2008

 July, 2009

 July, 2010

July, 2011

I woke up this morning and said to my husband “We survived Terrible Twos Squared!”  It has not always been easy, but it was a lot of fun (when I look back at all the things my “Twin”adoes have done this year):  their scaling fences and moving furniture, their sometimes ‘fresh’ mouths, potty training woes (and celebrations!  We’re almost there!), wrestling toddlers (didn’t think boys started fighting so young), moving into “big boy beds”, watching them interact with their older sister and baby brother, seeing language go from single words and small phrases to full paragraphs (and even sometimes to the point where I want to say “OK!  I get it!  Just stop talking for a minute so I can hear myself think!), watching them accomplish so many “big boy” tasks, registering them for pre-school and so much more!

My babies are growing up so fast!  I am so proud of the boys they are becoming (although I don’t always think so positively when they are driving me insane) and cannot wait to see the little men they become this year!

Happy Birthday, Louis and Anthony!  Mommy loves you soooo much!

Birthday Madness ensues for kiddo this year. It’s the double digit birthday – he’ll be 10 years old. Still can’t believe I’m the mother of a 10-year-old, but whatever. My task is to give him a great birthday.

So far he’s asked for several items – since Christmas he’s seen more toys, movies and games that he’d like than I could ever possibly buy him in several lifetimes, let alone this one. I’ve narrowed the gifts down to three – the newest book in the Wimpy Kid series, two video games and a trip to the movies. Since I’m doing a small cake cutting on Sunday and snacks at school on next Monday, I figure he’ll be content with that. He’d better be. Lol The gifts are paid for and on their way to my office on a two-day delivery while I’m still planning what I’ll be serving for the cake-cutting. I’m thinking of keeping it to healthy snacks for everyone to munch on before dinner rather than sponsoring a huge meal. And since I’m doing this alone (I’m the sole financial provider) I need to keep my poor wallet in mind while participating in the birthday madness.

Part of that birthday madness was figuring out who would be there. I’ve invited a combo of good friends and family already and have decided today to send a text invite to his father for the day. I know kiddo will be excited and I can set aside my feelings for a few hours so that my son can be happy on his special day. He’s an amazing kid and I’m blessed to be his mother. So, I’ll be looking for ways to cope during the festivities. Any advice for me moms?

They say that age is just a number, so why does this upcoming number bother me?

Later this month I will be turning 36.  By many standards I am young, but if you ask most teenagers I am probably old!   I am truly blessed.  I have everything I ever imagined by this time in my life (except my own house, but we’re working on that one):  an amazing husband, four beautiful children, a nice home, a graduate degree…  We enjoy our family and our life, and although we face bumpy roads (I think everyone does no matter what age you are), I am truly happy.  I cannot figure out why turning 36 is irritating me!

I guess I just need to face it:  I’m close to forty.  And that’s NOT a bad thing!

Shaughn’s 2nd birthday party was a success. The day of big parties or events that I am in charge of planning are always hectic and stressful for me because I over think things. I am also usually the one running out before everyone arrives to pick up all the food, the cake, etc. The party was at 4pm and at 3:30 I was running out with our friend James to pick up everything from the store. Since so many things from Blue’s Clues is discontinued, we had Publix recreate a look-a-like cake similar to the one they used to do when it was popular which turned out great. We got some deli sandwiches for lunch along with Blue Corn chips and french onion dip that I conveniently dyed blue. I made lemonade with blueberries which turned it from blue to bright purple, so I named it Magenta’s Magical Punch. Everyone had a good time and alot of the decorations were hand made which give it that extra little touch. It was complete with a Thinking Chair my mom found on craigslist for only fifty dollars where Shaughn sat to open his gifts. I decided to have a smaller gathering, only family and just a couple of friends. If I had a bigger budget to work with I would have went all out this year, but all in all is was great nonetheless. As favors for the adults, I had my friend who makes (soap among other amazing creations) make me paw print soaps in light blue and a darker blue with the room filling aroma of blueberry fragrance. It was such a cute idea and the guests loved it. If you ever want anything like that for whatever the occasion, she has some great deals including bubble bath for kids who simply cannot get enough of bubbles. You can check her out at http://lelassoapcreations.com/. I am so thankful for everything and everyone in our lives, and look forward to more happy celebrations in the future.

I get this question ALL the time.  The twins are 14 months older than the baby.  I guess as they get older, it will appear as if they are triplets more and more, especially because Joseph is such a big boy!  Sometimes I want to just answer “Yes!  They are!” because it might be easier than telling them that they are fourteen months apart.  I usually get something like “You have your hands full” or “Oh my God three of them so close!”.  I probably would get more questions if I said that they were triplets, so either way, I have to be ready for an answer.

Just this month, my baby (who was a year old on the 18th… time is flashing by!) started standing, pulling himself up in his crib and creeping.  I figure in no time he will be walking, and then I don’t know HOW I am going to keep my sanity!  As it is now, the twins are always running in different directions and I have a hard enough time splitting myself to run after each of them!  Now three?

Good thing is my baby formula days are over now, although to be honest, I think it was much easier when Joseph was on formula.  He really doesn’t like milk (guess he needs to get used to it) and he eats like the boys!  My grocery shopping bill is going to skyrocket soon!  At least with the formula I always bought Parent’s Choice, so I saved a lot of money.  Now?  My TRIPLETS are going to eat us out of house and home!  OH BOY!

Well I was completely convinced that I was going to do a Go Diego Go party, but of course at last minute I changed my mind. I changed it to Blue’s Clues and thought it would be an easy and fun theme. Ha! Little did I know what I got myself into. Since Blue’s Clues has been “off the air” for years now, many of their licensed products have been since discontinued. I must have searched over 100 websites that had the Blue’s Clues party packs and accessories, only to get to the actual page and find out they are out of stock. Then the ebayers who had items listed for plates, table cloths, etc had higher prices probably because they knew it was impossible to get. After I already sent out the invites, I spent any free time I had panicking on what to do. I went to the dollar store and got blue plates, cups, napkins, silverware and a tablecloth. Not bad for less than ten dollars! I’ve come to terms with the fact that there’s not “Blue” the character on there, but I also got a poster board that I can hopefully draw Blue on. Hopefully is the key word here. On the website of Publix, a grocery chain here, under their cakes section they had a thumbnail photo of a Blue’s Clues cake in the Preschool Favorites section which I was so excited about. I clicked the link to see all the preschool faves and guess what, Blue’s Clues cake was not listed. So I called, thinking maybe there was a mistake in the list since they had a picture. Nope. No mistake. The cake decoration set had been discontinued! So now I had to think of how to make a cake without doing just the paw print, or cupcakes to make a print. On Amazon, there was someone actually selling the cake decoration set that was used in bakeries for $10! Things are slowly coming together for Saturday’s get together. I am not, by any means, doing a big thing this year. I felt the ONE party was a good celebration for Shaughn and for us as new parents, so this year it’s only going to be my family and Brent’s family for a nice little gathering What did you do for your child’s second birthday?

…OK, well I’m really not ready.  But that is what their invitation sent.  Just mailed them out today.  I still cannot believe how fast time flies.  I remember my daughter’s second birthday which was six years ago already.  She woke up on the morning of her second birthday chanting “Happy JULNA day!”  Back then it seemed every day was Juliana Day, as she was my only child.  And now I have four.  Two of those four are turning TWO years old!

It feels like a few weeks ago Paul and I were planning our wedding.  We tried for a year after we got married to become pregnant, and when the sonogram showed twins, Paul had to lift my chin up off the floor.  I didn’t think I could survive a twin pregnancy, but I did, and they were the cutest little pair of cuties ever!  I cannot imagine my life without them!  These two little characters are just that.  They are always full of laughs and make everyone who comes in contact with them laugh, too!  Even when I want to run away from the chaos, I still have to sit back and laugh at these kids. 

Anthony loves to strip.  When we took them to see Toy Story 3 last week, he slowly and steadily took off one sneaker, then the next, followed by each sock (“dock”).  I didn’t realize he had slinked out of his shorts as well, and slid down on the floor to eat the popcorn he dropped a few minutes before!  When I picked him up to stop the popcorn eating fiasco, he just looked at me with those adoring eyes and said “Mommy, CAN I HAVE MORE POPCORN PLEASE!”  OK, it actually sounded more like “MaMa!  Corn!  Pease!  More!!!!”

Louis is a self-proclaimed vegetarian.  Yep, not even two years old and already deciding he will not eat meat.  OK, so that is NOT entirely true.  He will eat Grandma’s meatballs, chicken nuggets and hot dogs (“Ott dugs”) and occasionally I try to sneak in a slice of ham or a bite of a piece of steak.  One evening, I forced his little mouth open and made him eat a piece of London broil.  The child smiled, saying “MEEEET!!!  Noo-Noo (what he calls himself, his version of Lou-Lou) eat MEEEET!!!”.  He chewed and chewed for TEN minutes.  Then, as soon as Paul and I turned to eat other to talk, he took the piece of meat out of his mouth and back into his dish!  When we told him to eat the meat, he told us “I DID!!!!!”  and when I told him he needs to swallow it, he answered “I CAN’T”

Yes, they certainly keep things interesting around here!

So, as we approach the terrible twos (and debatably we already did!), I am planning my sons’ second birthday party.  We’re not having a big party as we did last year:  some family and friends in our yard.  The theme is Sesame Street, and I am going to decorate the yard, have Elmo make a guest appearance, and have the kids swim in the kiddie pool.  We will barbecue and have cake and cupcakes, and my boys will get to hear everyone sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY to them!  They love to sing it to everyone else, and every time I say that it is THEIR turn, they grin from ear to ear.  My twins are turning two.  I’m sure it is going to be a fun ride!

Jennifer Nevadomski
Paul’s Wife
Mom to: Juliana, 8 – Louis and Anthony, 24 months – Joseph, 10 months
www.nevaland.com

The boys are now big boys. They are two and three. Seriously? Yep, I can’t believe it. If you are expecting and people tell you to enjoy the little moments because they fly by, do it and believe them! Kids truly do grow up way too fast.

We had their birthday party at Chuck E Cheese on Saturday. They had a blast, but that place is wild. It seemed like there were 50 parties going on at once (I am sure there weren’t, but it sure seemed like it). The boys enjoyed playing with friends and playing the games. They received thoughtful presents from wonderful people. They saw the big mouse sing and dance. They also got in the ticket machine and grabbed for tickets. They had tons of fun and that’s all that counts.

They also added to their toy collection.

We got them a bead table and some little trikes. They love them. I know when they are older we’ll have to split the parties, but it is fun to dress them alike and combine the parties right now. It’s such a blast to have caring friends come to the party. I, usual, took a ton of photos. I’ll share a few here.

Shannon
Potamus Prefers
http://www.potamusprefers.com/

Well my husband turned 29 on the 14th of April and is rather sad! It is his last hear in his 20′s and he feels like he is much older than he actually is. It’s funny to see a man freak out about aging because it’s normally the women who worry about things of that nature.

Before the day arrived, he talked a lot about it, but now I think he is completely over it. That is, of course, until his birthday comes around next year. No turning back, the big 3-0. I’m going to have to plan something for that event !

This year we got a few of our closest friends and some family to all go out for dinner and some drinks at an amazing Polynesian restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale called Mai-Kai. This was the second time I had been here and had the best time. The food is great, and the show is even better! The price range is a little up there, but worth every penny, especially if you opt for the 3 course dinner & show combination. That night is most memorable for me because it was the first time I ate snail! Escargot, I have to say,delicious! I don’t know if it depends on how different places prepare and cook it, but here was awesome. I never thought I would have tried anything like it, but I did!

During the show, they do fun dances while telling a story of the islands. In the middle, the host announces all special occasions being celebrated that night, including Brent’s birthday. Everyone received this neat fruit volcano with a sparkler sticking out of it, except us, which I was puzzled by. It wasn’t an extra feature that I had failed to order, I think they just really forgot. Right after that, the dancers had to have 2 audience participants. Two WILLING participants, however one of the girls came straight for my husband (unwilling) and pulled him on stage. I thought it was really nice and figured it was them taking care of us since we did not get the fruit. Thank goodness Brent had a couple of drinks by then because he would definitely have NOT gone on stage to dance, but he did a great job and that just added to the great night well shared!

- Krystal

Each year, I take photos of the boys and display those works of art (anything, even a retro Polaroid, with my kiddos in it is a work of art lol) at the party. We use the mat in lieu of a sign-in book.
I always had trouble getting them to pose just right so I gave up on that. Anyway, I found that the shots that aren’t posed are the best. Don’t you think? Sometimes they are crying or fussing and I snap during a breath and get what looks like a smile to the outside world. Score! Even the upset shots are adorable. I have so many photos of the boys with food on their faces, crying or eating dirt. To my family, these are more treasured than the professional posed ones we paid a pretty penny for at the portrait studio.
This year, I searched around and found them matching shortalls and checkered shirts to wear with sandals. Last year, we did the bluebonnet photo and it turned out really neat. This year, I want to incorporate the little red chair I painted, but just not sure how to set it all up.
Does anyone have any ideas?

Shannon
Potamus Prefers
http://www.potamusprefers.com/