My Big Fat Greek Babies: August

August started off with a night on the couch for Nick & me, courtesy of his 2yr molars making their imminent arrival known.

Adrienne, bright eyed & bushy tailed at 6:30, put me in quite a quandary. We had a BIG day planned at Six Flags with Mima & Pop Pop. Now that the rest of the house was wide awake, Nick was sound asleep in the middle of the family room - and I was NOT about to attempt moving him - I wanted him to get some rest so he wasn't pure misery the entire day... So I let Adrienne eat breakfast in Calvin's room (which they are NOT allowed to go in to) while getting to watch whatever TV show she wanted (they had NO idea the TV in there even worked).
After an hour of being SO patient I let her wake him up... she was being SO gentle & precious with him.... Until she decided to start digging around in his diaper, that is...

While piling into my parents’ I gave them a head's up that I had about 3 hours of sleep. We go to pull out & my dad says, "Umm, think it would be a good idea if you closed your car doors?" I had just walked away from my wide-open SUV (trunk AND side door) in one of the busiest shopping centers in NJ where we met to carpool. Oh what a DAY this is going to be.....
Not sure who was daffiest that afternoon...
The first ride of the day... and I always get the BEST BEST BEST pictures of Adrienne on a merry go round!
A double-shot with my mom in the background too!

Despite the lack of sleep he was just a LITTLE excited...

Captivated by the animals paintings.
All 5 of us packed into the Teacups...

Then on to the little kid ferris wheel where we went....

Peek a boo!

Adrienne couldn't get back on the Wags ride (aka a "big kid ride") fast enough. The car came down after it was over & she pitched a fit... sobbing because she wanted to go on it again. I literally had to PRY her out of the seat. After holding up the line (yes, she was THAT kid) we finally got her out & of course she got RIGHT back on (there were all of 3 kids on line in front of her).

Meanwhile, Nick didn't need no stinkin' Wags the Dog ride. He put on his own one-man-Wiggles-show.

Alas, then the rain came. Time to head home...

In the immortal words of Jean Paul Sartre, 'Au revoir, gopher'.

Of course the the second I pull in the driveway they'll be wide-awake. Nick got to sleep in after being up all night.... they both got to nap in the car.... HOW is it fair that I'm the only one who has to go through this day with about 3 hours of sleep!?!?

Nick has been eyeing up Adrienne's Silly Bandz for weeks. A RARE family night out to dinner and the perfect distraction to ensure a pleasant eve: his very own set of "bacelips", as he calls them.

A beach day with both grandmas!
I was telling my girlfriend (who has a girl-boy combo 1yr ahead of mine) about the kids going from the water to the blanket, blanket to water, water to blanket.... ERRR! I can't keep up with them going a million miles an hour to opposite sides of the beach!!! "Dig a hole!" she said. And dig I did. She's BRILLIANT.

Let me tell you somethin'.... I do NOT remember digging a hole in the sand being SO MUCH WORK!!!! But it did the trick - another 'home base' while being able to keep them both within my sights.

Sometimes we look at Nick & realize how much he's thinning out. Then I see a picture like this.
Budha!
Up to the concession stand for snack #2... eye schleem!
(that would be Nickese for 'ice cream')
Considering that it was melting faster than a stick of butter in Hades, Adrienne did an amazing job eating it neatly.

Nick's dripped a little... No big deal, right?
Oh... haha! A chocolate goatee! Cute, Mickaronis....
HOLY MARY MOTHER OF PEARL!
I had NO idea this was going on beneath the table until he stood up!!!!
Showered off, we're back at the sand pit turned slide.

*phew*
Crisis averted!
Good job keeping those hands out of the pool! Heaven forbid they get sand on them....

Trying to capture a treasure without getting slammed in the face with a wave....

... almost....

Got it! What is this fabulous treasure for which you risked life & limb?!?

A grey rock. Whoa. That's a show stopper right there, buddy.

Adrienne's turn! A crusty ol' clam shell.
Can my kids pick winners or WHAT!?

Getting washed out to sea...

... but he came crawling back.

This was about the extent of Adrienne's appreciation for my water's edge pool. All she kept asking was, "Are you looking for sandcrabs, mommy??!" "NO! I'm trying to dig to China, for goodness sakes!!!" How does she even know about sandcrabs, anyway?!?!

Back at the house, kids are down for a nap (after getting SCRUBBED down - let me tell you... that black sand does NOT come off without a dousing of a serious bath and body works style concoction!) - I'm emptying the car. I almost put my head through the window when I heard a DEAFING squawk! I swear, I thought the freakin' goose was in the trunk. There he stood. On the EXACT spot where a tree had just been taken down. Loose a tree, gain a goose. Great. I think I'll take the dead, rotting tree.

"What kind of cupcakes do you want?" "Pink!" I said. "PINK PINK PINK!"
So pink cupcakes it was!
(although I used yellow cake mix... so it came out more peach than pink....)

WHAT are we making, Nick??
Oh, right... CUPATES.

What we lacked in pinkness for the cupCAKE we made up for in the icing.

And then daddy came home. Which is *almost* as exciting as pink cupcakes.

"What happened to the rest of the cupcakes, Pinkalicious?"
Just then Nick ran in and yelled, "PINK-A-BOO!"

John was running around, trying to put the finishing touches on the party prep before the guests arrived (we were WAY early) and all Nick wanted was Uncle Thunder. He chased John down wherever he went...

Testing Olivia's swing... making sure it swings just like its twin at Mima & Pop Pop's house.

Yup! It works!

The best modeling / dancing session I've managed to catch on video YET!!

But Aunt Tammy trumps with an 80's inspired Silly Bandz fashion tip...

Reminder: This child melts down when the wind blows.

All of a sudden she came up to me and said, "Mommy.... I hurt my toe." I look down & see her big toe split up the center - without describing the gore let's just say it made my stomach turn. But did she cry, whine or even whimper... NOTHING! Not a peep!

Quite possibly MY favorite summer-time toy: eyesh lupes (read: ice cubes)
Unfortunately they don't entertain Adrienne like they have in years past (they grow up SO fast...) but Nick is still gung-ho baby glaciers!

I had JUST finished explaining to another mom how Nick's school teacher INSISTS he drinks perfectly out of a cup. Yet every time he attempts it at home more ends up in his lap than in his mouth. Of course no sooner do I finish my little speech than he puts the cup to his lips & downs his H2O as if he were the Anchorman.

This child CLEARLY needs to eat more sweets. Icing should NOT be something to be confused about!!

To quote Cookie Monster, "Om nom nom nom nom!"

1st-birthday-sweetie even shared some with daddy...

The party took an unexpected turn when the male stripper showed up.

Yup. We're in THAT stage of our life.

As my mom was so kindly trying to help Nick into the car after the party he busted out his newest catch phrase... "BY MYSELF!" But on the bright side of "by myself", not only can Adrienne hop into the car & car seat with the ease of a grasshopper but she can now buckle herself in!! AWESOME!

Nick's first time sitting on the potty!

"No poops, mommy."

Thanks for the update.
(quite frankly, I'll be perfectly happy with no poops OR peeps for now because I'm pretty sure Nick's first peeps are going to be sprayed all OVER the room - I just don't think I'm ready for that yet...)

Post-dinner applesauce. Why did this random moment get captured? Because I offered them CUPCAKES for dessert and they ASKED FOR applesauce instead!!!!

?!?!?!??!?!

The big Italian Festival at the park just down the street from us. It was the first night - gorgeous out! So we picked the kids up from daycare & headed over.

The kids wanted to go on this ridiculous train ride that did nothing more than SLOWLY go around a 30' track. And around. And AROUND. To the point that Adrienne looked up at me, "Is this going to end?" Honestly, at that point I just wasn't so sure....

Let me tell you something... this ride was AWESOME! The arms would rise up, then freefall drop onto these huge rubber stoppers & we would just BOUNCE. It was practically impossible to get a good picture because we were bouncing all over the place (well, that and they made me cram my double-wide into the seat with poor Nick...)

Adrienne (and yes, Greg) got to go on the Bumble Bee ride but Nick was a smidge too short so he got nixed.

Which he was none too happy about.

Look at that POUT!

OK, OK... on to a ride they could both enjoy. What kid DOESN'T have a video of themselves on this very same ride?!?

After it was over I hopped up to get a picture which they wanted NO part of. "PLEASE let me get your picture!!! I'm so proud of you for not killing each other!!!" And this is what I got. *sigh*

Greg's turn! He looks a little more comfy than he did on the Bumble Bee ride....

Nick on the airplane ride...

...and my dad on the airplane... WAIT A MINUTE! That's a REAL airplane. Yes, my father's latest obsession: Getting his pilot's license.

OK, back to the Italian festival...
We been telling Adrienne to STOP RUNNING OFF! PAY ATTENTION! STAY WITH US! She didn't x 3. It was one of those moments you're SO happy it happened because we were all of 15 feet away from her & knew she was ok. But I have to say, my heart broke for her as we watched the panic set in. Lesson learned.

Ooooo! SWEET (literally!) "first"!

FUNNEL CAKE!!

Another first... At least it was only about an hour into opening night, so it wasn't completely defiled.

As we were piling onto the ferris wheel I said to Greg, "Oooo! I bet we can see our house from the top!!" He looked at me like I was a blonde. (wait........) ANYWAY, he was right but we really do live RIGHT THERE!

One last ride for the night... the fire truck!

Adrienne's portrait of Greg. Well, Greg or George Clooney. My bet is on Greg, though.
Too funny... this is SO going in her baby book!

Ducky Derby day at Allaire State Park.

They gave the wee ones bamboo fishing poles with a metal hook on the end. Here little 2 year old rambuncious boy with the coordination of an epileptic.... go get yourself a duckie!!
Did they WANT someone to loose an eye?!? What were they thinking?!!? How about a mini NET!!???

Now for the Ducky Derby... here go our ducks!

Speed demons they were...

Adrienne cheered her duck on!

And Nick... eh, he was good with the dirt.

What blows my mind is that the boy spent the entire time looking at rocks, bugs & dirt... not paying the derby ANY mind at all yet he asks to go back to the "Ducky Dirty" at LEAST once a week and his favorite bath toys are the duckies they 'caught' that afternoon.

After the Ducky Derby we headed to Tori's for some tomato pickin', hose shootin', BBQ fun.

Clearly, a 6' 5" Greek in a 4x4 treehouse is easy to miss... even though he walked right through his legs.

Dozens of tomatos just waiting to be plucked!

It's funny... as focused as she is, tomato picking just doesn't do it for her. She'll pick a few, eat a few (wear a few...) and that's it.

Nick, on the other hand, will stand in front of these plants FOREVER, picking away. He actually puts a few in the bucket too.

Most he eats. Shocker.

"Here A'diah!"

Enough sharing.

That's right, now put your hip into it... there you go!

"I'm going to get you mommy!"

Poor unsuspecting Nick trotted right over when she called him...

Then she got.... herself?!?

Ahh, time for another little life lesson, baby: Payback is a b****.

What it's like potty-training a toddler who just LOVES to say 'no'. Even when he means yes.
Oh, and in case I wasn't sure about WHERE the poops are.... thankfully he showed me.

We had promised the kids that we would go back to the fair. Well, it's the LAST day, Greg was working & the weather was shady. Yikes on all counts. But it would just break my heart if they didn't get to go back one more time. (That and I REALLY didn't want to hear about it for 12 more months until the fair returned.) That afternoon, just before nap time we were running errands. I pulled into the fair's parking lot knowing FULL well it wasn't open. I saw someone setting up & asked, "Excuse me, what time does the fair open?" "5" From the backseat, "It's not open?!" "Nope. It opens up after you go nonnie. If you go right to nonnie when we get home and STAY asleep then we'll go to the fair when you wake up." Let me tell you... those children were asleep within SECONDS of lying down and both slept until minutes before 5. SWEET!
Driving over (all of 1 mile...) I LECTURED THEM until their ears bled, "It's just the 3 of us. You HAVE TO STAY WITH ME and LISTEN to everything I ask you to do. If you're at all bad, we go home. End of story."
We walked in, I said, "OK, let me send a picture to Daddy!" and Adrienne darts off... (ok, she really only ran to the other side of Nick, but it looks like she's in full speed ahead mode which works much better for the Tale of the Solo Fair Trip)

Good (stationary) little children.

We (um, ok I) HAD to go on this ride again. Adrienne didn't get to ride it the other day... as we were lining up we bumped into a little girlfriend of hers from school so they got to ride tandem.

On to the ferris wheel. Nick was stoked. Adrienne, not so much.

Then Nick wasn't so sure about it...

I started grabbing the clouds when we got to the top of the ferris wheel. "I've got a purple one! I've got a pink one!" Nick shouted, "I got a lollipop one!" Adrienne's reaction was priceless!

Hot rodding around town.

How fast is that ride GOING?!

The best part about going to the liquor store... Wait keeping mom & dad in a wine-induced happy haze is the best part. That means the SECOND best... nope, no - that's not right either because the local wine cellar is family-owned and family-friendly - the kids get a lollipop almost every time they walk in the door. OK, so the THIRD best thing about the liquor store... brown paper bags mean ROBOT TIME!

A robot on the move.

Greg's FIRST DAY OFF in (get ready) FIFTY-THREE DAYS.
We're off to The Wiggles show at the Meadowlands, but first a stop at MY favorite local hole-in-the-wall... Luigi's for pizza!

Nick's enthusiasm couldn't be contained.

Before the show even started we hit the souvenier booth (what a cluster that was... 4 trillion moms, dads & wee ones & they couldn't figure out how to get the credit card machines to work) but we managed to snag some Fab Four swag. Our own Dorothy the Dinosaur & Captain Feathersword.

She was in AWE!

This was Nick the ENTIRE time. I thought he was going to be out of his mind with excitement - he can barely contain himself when they're on TV. But I think stunned is a little more accurate.

This is Jeff's entrance... Adrienne's favorite Wiggle. The show was great... the guys are appreciative of the parents, are incredibly interactive with the kids and could care less that the place is a half second away from pure bedlam.

Ahh, quite possibly their favorite part of the afternoon... playing with the neverending wall of turnstiles...

This is Miss Natosha... Nick's teacher who is just fabulous... we love her...

... for reasons like this: I got a text from her the other day - after a moment of panic (oh no... who did he bite? what happened??) I saw there was an attachment & this came across - face painting day at school. The "cutest puppy ever"!

Adrienne's VERY FIRST dentist appointment!

She was SUCH a trooper at the dentist as he poked & prodded... we celebrated by going to Max's for cheeseburgers & a milkshake!

Welcome to The Billows Motel.

Rrrrrr Rrrrrr Rrrrrrr!

Since Nick's bathroom intrigue is growing, I figured it's time to get him his own potty. Giving it a test run.

About to head out for our awesome afternoon: Lunch with Greg at the track (there was a music festival too!), naps in the car and then an all night birthday pool party. I happened to notice this odd mark on Nick's arm... What the....!??! RINGWORM?!?! Oh no... What IS this?!?! Should I call the doctor?!?! Go straight to the ER!?! Wait. Wait JUST a minute. This is nothing more than the explanation of the blood-curteling scream I heard when I was downstairs throwing in a load of laundry.
When Kids Bite, Episode 84

Teeth marks quickly fading, assuaging my fears that we are sporting some rancid contagion, we're off to the party. Not only was there a pool (that I DREADED getting in to.... but oh HEAVEN!! it was warmer than any bathtub I've ever stepped foot in! I was the one who didn't want to get out!!!) but a TRAMPOLINE! Love the levitating shots....

K2, whose own daughter was just packing up for frosh year at college, stepped in to help me pack my kids into the car. Adrienne was SO excited to get a piggy back ride!!

Trying to get into the car to run some errands.
By myself. Snots everywhere. Triangle book.
This is why it takes 45 minutes to pick up a loaf of bread.

(the video is in 2 parts - had to split it in order to get it uploaded)

Uncle Arthur.... You deserve the BIGGEST kudos EVER for this afternoon...
Folks, Uncle Arthur babysat ALL 4 COUSINS.... SOLO!!!!
Not for nothin'... but I still get a little panicky with my own 2 and an afternoon with nothing on the calendar.... And he took on all 4!!

BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO UNCLE ARTHUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And not only did he have all 4 but he managed to get some adorable shots!

Adrienne thinks she's just SOOOOO COOOOOL to be hanging out with her big cousins.

OK, Uncle Arthur. Your 3 hour photo shoot is over. Gimme that camera!

That's ok since Uncle Arthur was rewarded with a whole new batch of models a few hours later at Corinne's birthday party.

ALTHOUGH....... Achoo might be closing in on Uncle Arthur's prized role as resident family photographer when he snapped this gem of Adrienne....

There are moments you'd like to remember forever.... this one was beyond anything the camera could capture.
As you well know, Adrienne is learning about all-things-girly under the superb tutelage of Aunt Keri. Nail polish, hair styles, dancing, modeling... and the pinacle of girliness... PRINCESSES. I, on the other hand, haven't mentioned that the princesses she so adores on her clothes, in books, etc. are also in movies. That's right... up until this moment she had no idea princess movies existed....
I couldn't have been happier to have witnessed this... pure joy, amazement, excitement, SHOCK to see those princesses on the covers of so many DVDs. Adrienne actually SHRIEKED Keri's name and lept into her arms. Poor Corinne, the birthday girl, trying to have her moment in the sun while opening gifts, was drowned out by Adrienne squealing in delight and the frenzy as she ran back & forth from the DVD rack to Keri as each princess movie was discovered.
Kids do a thousand things you think are precious, but this was truly priceless...

As Adrienne was in a whirlwind of Disney estrogen, someone found a tattoo so we inked Nick up. What can I say.... like father, like son!

Keri told me there was some spectacular lunar occurrence later that eve... it was such a gorgeous night so I dragged Nick down to the beach with me (Adrienne had gone home with Greg). We get out of the car... oooo & ahhh at the moon, head home... pleased as punch with myself that I saw whatever moment it was that the world was so enlightened to be witness to. UNTIL I WENT TO POST THIS BLOG AND GOOGLED IT. There was no lunar occurrence. It was an old circulated email hoax. And I bought it.

The next day Peter & Keri planned to head over to the beach & asked if we wanted to join... sure! Well, until the next morning and I had NO desire to go. But I had to weigh the options: The next 3 hours were going to feel more like 6 sitting around the house OR pack up & let the kids tear up Bradley. I chose the latter. Wisely, I might add. We had SO MUCH FUN! (as opposed to all the other times with these 3 that are such a DRAG...)
WAH-HOO!!!

Just watching the kids chase & get chased by the waves (and Peter throwing buckets of water on them)...
Keri said it best - It just never gets old....

One of those still-shots-are-better-than-video moments... Gearing up for the encroaching wave.

Quick like a bunny! The only shot I got of the 3 wee ones all facing the camera!!

I can't believe Keri got pictures of this... mainly because she's only comfortable when the kids have their feet planted FIRMLY on the ground.

Wait a minute! Who is having more fun here?!

Yes, she's wearing her Disney princess bikini (compliments of Aunt Linda.... I just CAN'T IMAGINE where Keri gets it from...) in light of last night's princess movie disovery.

"OK, so I was on the jetty, fishing, you see. And there was this tug on the line... I fought & fought & fought... finally I pulled up a guppy and he was THIS BIG!"