Birthdays

So here we are in April with two birthdays one day apart. Landon turned three on April 5th and Chase one on April 6th. We celebrated both on the same night with separate cakes. Landon was very anxious to get a piece of his cake and had been waiting patiently all-day-long...after the candles were blown out and "no one was looking" he leaned in and took a huge lick of frosting from the side of his cake. They both received such great gifts - thanks aunts, uncles, grandmas, and grandpas for being so thoughtful - the boys really loved having you all here and are having so much fun with their new toys. Landon declared his new "Tow Mater" car his "best friend" today. We just got back from the beach but wanted to get birthday pics out before I uploaded beach pics. More to come...

Update

So it has been a while...not much new to report. We are still waiting for it to warm up down here - we have had a few 70 degree days but then it always seems to dip back into the 50's - brrr! Landon and Chase are having their birthdays this weekend - I just can't believe that they will be 3 and 1 already! Although I am so thankful that we are out of that infant phase (I can't say that is my favorite!) Chase is practicing walking when I am assisting him but he hasn't wandered off on his own yet. I am thinking the big brother presence is making him a bit more timid. Landon pushes him off things as it is now... I am sure he isn't ready to be pushed off of his own two feet! And Chase is still cutting those 4 top teeth - any day now... and hopefully before we leave for the beach on Sunday! My birthday presents from Chase would be getting those 4 teeth and having him walk. Landon has already given me his... the fact that he is potty trained! I can't even tell you how happy I am to have one out of diapers - not only does it save on money...but the wretched smell from our outside garbage can is no longer... thank goodness! I am adding more pics - Landon loves trying on my shoes and then loves the challenge of walking around in them! And we cut Chase's hair - he has transformed from baby to boy overnight!

Too much

So today we ran around and did a hundred things...well not really one hundred things...but maybe 4 or 5 different activities (or stops) in a day which with two boys in tow can feel like one hundred things. After our last stop at Aunt Heather's to see her three day old baby girl (she is very adorable!) and playtime with the cousins, we decided to go to Salsaritas, a delicious burrito place, that is very filling and most importantly fast! Landon is still not taking naps so he was WAY overtired and as we were waiting to order he was walking circles around the other customers in line. And Chase is in his "if I have to be buckled into a highchair for one more minute I am going to scream at the top of my lungs" phase. And all of the other customers were not really appreciating us being there as Chase is continuing to make his high pitched scream sound and Landon is scraping his chair across the concrete floor (similar to the nails on a chalkboard sound). And as I am shoveling my LARGE burrito (yes, large!) into my mouth, Landon is declaring that he is done and he wants to leave and I am telling him (as pieces of rice are falling out of my mouth) that he will just have to wait until Andy and I are finished...that doesn't really work well with a 3 year old...so Andy left with the two boys first...and I finished my burrito...every last bite!

Lake Murray

We ventured down to Lake Murray where our future residence will be when we retire! It was great...we soaked up sun, played in the pool, and enjoyed the views of the lake...and then there was the ride home...I don't think Chase stopped crying/whining until we discovered the magic behind the Baby Einstein videos...well at least it worked for a few minutes!

Easter Sunday

Landon was so excited getting up this morning knowing that the Easter bunny came to visit! He left the bunny a carrot and almonds (the almonds were all Landon's idea) and he found the carrot half eaten and two of the three almonds gone - the bunny was hungry! He hunted for his basket with several VERY obvious hints from us and he found his basket of treats in the coat closet! And at 7:45 this morning he was eating candy... isn't candy the breakfast for champions or was that Wheaties?

Happy Easter!

With Easter comes the fun Easter egg hunts, lots of treats before the day even arrives, and a great understanding of the true meaning of Easter... Landon says, "Jesus is alive". Landon had a little preschool party and also joined in a neighborhood Easter egg hunt - Chase had no clue - he was just looking for anything to chew on - and the eggs suited him just fine!

On another note, Landon is potty trained! Yipppeeee! It took a good week to get the hang of it...he insisted on peeing on trees and once he decided to do the number two on a backyard tree... we had a chat about how the "outdoor" bathroom is reserved only for emergencies. We drove to the zoo today and he announced he had to go - we found the closest McDonalds (Andy was contemplating the side of the highway) - and he made it saying "ah...this feels good!"

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Kevin with two right hands? We have some missing faces...

Better...but still some missing. Penny, Becky


Hubby, Me

Penny, Tracy, Becky
James, Debbie, Andy, Mike
Kevin, Bob, Jason, and Jan
The green boa makes an appearance!

Yipppeeee! Andy and I were able to celebrate St. Patty's day college-style at a local pub (followed by Town Tavern, and a visit to Stir Crazy!) with friends from the neighborhood - we had a great time! I never could find a green boa...but at least someone from the group had one!

Challenges

I really do believe that when you have your own children, it makes you wiser - I don't mean necessary more intelligent - but definitely wiser. Today I was thinking about challenges and as human beings, we crave opportunities to be challenged - whether we realize it or not. In the working world...employees will take on huge challenges to a. test themselves... and b. prove themselves - and I mean in the way as prove yourself to your own self - not because you are trying to impress your boss but because you want to impress yourself. I do this while I run... I am going to run 2 miles at a 6 minute pace...I am going to sprint the last 50 yards...etc. A challenge. Male gorillas in the wild will challenge another male gorilla for territory...isn't every part of the jungle all the same? Chase today was trying to get himself onto the train table - not because he was told to but he had never done it before, and wanted to prove that he could. I was hesitating on helping him because I think he wanted to do it...he struggled...one leg...his body...the other leg...and he was successful. Where would our world be without opportunities for challenge?

Clean

I am realizing that the older I get, the more I learn about myself...well maybe not learning as much as finally admitting to the things that I have been denying until now. Like my mild case of obsessive compulsive...it is not extreme...I just like things in order...no clutter...not a mess...clean and in order. Well, with Landon and Chase around now it is quite impossible. And so I try to be realistic - clean after they finish an activity (puzzles, etc.), wait until they nap before I clean up the kitchen, pick up outdoor toys after they go to bed - reasonable. Or so I thought until Landon decided that the hand soap in the bathroom needs to be put away - under the cabinet.

What's new?

So...I am having trouble with posting pics...more zoo pics to come...

Things here are just busy...not sure what we do all-day-long, but we are just busy.
What's new?... Landon is going through this I don't want to go anywhere without mom phase and I have had to drag him (well carry him) kicking and screaming to his preschool (which he has been completely fine with going all year) and same with the Y. It is very hard on him and equally as stressful on me - I left him last week with tears streaming down his face and almost mine wondering if it was even worth it. But by the time I came back, he was having the best time. Today was a better day...I am hoping it just gets better from here.

Today, after four poop diapers and a sore bottom, Landon declared that he did not want to wear a diaper anymore (YAY!) But after three accidents (two outside and one at the dinner table) the diaper went back on.

Chase is still training on how to walk...he is almost there - hopefully by his birthday which is in just a few weeks!

Andy and I are finally going out to celebrate St. Patty's day (with the entire neighborhood) on Saturday! We are very excited about that! I am still in search of a green boa - we may get a little c-r-a-z-y!

Zoo pics

Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens

We decided after being housebound all day Saturday (due to high winds), to drive down to Columbia, SC to visit the Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens. It is the closest zoo to us which takes us "about" an hour and 14 minutes to drive. Landon loved every second of it - and luck seemed to be on our side today as we got to see the sea lions being fed, as well as the penguins, and the gorillas. And as we all watched in amazement, a zoo worker would give the audience a short narrative on the animals. We found that gorillas really prefer grapes for a treat rather than (very commonly thought) bananas. And to our surprise as we were eating grapes tonight at dinner, Landon proclaimed that he, himself was a gorilla - I was impressed that he was paying that close attention!

Chase also enjoyed the zoo - especially the fountains. He would shriek with joy as we approached each one - and there were many at the botanical gardens! He was a bit wary on the carousel but at the end was jumping up and down on his horse as if he was truly riding!

Not moving, then painting!

We have been living in our current house three years to this day (well yesterday - today is Leap day) and it is a record for the Roemers. We lived in northern Virginia for 7 years and moved 4 times and then finally moved down to South Carolina. I love change...in fact, I crave it. I love rearranging furniture, love to buy new things for the house, and my most favorite - changing a paint color - it really can redefine an entire living space. I have taken on a huge painting project - the kitchen/living area and am going from a golden brown color to an icy blue/green. It has really changed the feel of our entire downstairs. And speaking of feeling, Landon backed right into the freshly painted wall last night and had paint all over his hand and back of his pajamas...no need for scolding...he was crying before we even knew what was happening.

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall...

Well, this time not 99 bottles... and not on the wall... instead three bottles sitting on the pantry floor. They were there because we emptied out the cooler from our bbq on Saturday and Chase with his "what can I get into that I am not supposed to" radar found the bottles. And as he is sitting in the pantry, winging around a bottle, Landon runs in and decides to take over my role and take it away from him and as they are playing tug of war, Chase decides that Landon can just have it and there goes Landon with the bottle flying into the tile floor and the bottle breaks and there are my two little boys, sitting in a puddle of beer and broken glass at seven o'clock in the morning. Thankfully, neither one was hurt... and Landon learned a valuable lesson: never spill beer on yourself because it smells bad and you will have to take a bath right away!