Week 9, Round 2

The past week went really well for us.  Lincoln was still in his ultra helpful/loving mode, and it made life in general that much more enjoyable.  I am still dealing with extreme grouchiness from time to time with Corinne (hopefully from her teeth), but luckily Lincoln was aware of her occasional outbursts and gave his sister some slack--showing extra love and patience toward Corinne.

Thursday morning we headed to speech and swimming lessons where Lincoln was extremely polite and well behaved.  Then we came home for lunch and a nap for Corinne.  Lincoln and I did a little Hooked on Phonics while she slept, and then Lincoln decided to teach Corinne how to play her new build a flower bead game that she got for Christmas.

I loved that he was so patient with her, even when she dumped what he had just built.  He would also wait until she was finished with her project if they needed the same piece.  She eventually got the hang of it, but still likes to preplan her pieces on the card to make sure they match. 

They made English muffin pizzas for dinner, even though Corinne refused to eat hers later.

Lincoln played more Marine with his nerf gun.  He is convinced that Daddy jumps out of helicopters and shoots his gun while he falls down.  I'm afraid he might be a little disappointed one day when he finds out that Nathan mostly works with computers and only does the fun stuff occasionally.  But for now, Daddy is the coolest and I don't want to crush any of the cool factor.  He still "fights the bad guys" just not like most people would think. 

We wrapped up the night by wrapping up Corinne like an infant for them to play "baby".  I was a bit shocked that she let me swaddle her up and carry her around.  I was also shocked at how light she is, even when I hold her that way.  We know more than a few babies that weigh almost as much as she does! 

On Friday we met Jenn, Mabel, and Luke at the park for some fun in the sun.  It wa a bit gloomy earlier in the week, and it felt great to get out.  Lincoln was happy to make it back to one of his favorite parks.

Corinne enjoyed a ride on the swings with Luke.

We came home for Corinne to nap, then Lincoln and I built "The Disneyland Hotel" out of their soft blocks.  He made it for Corinne's doll house family, that was taking a ride in Noah's ark to get to the Disneyland Hotel Island.  I wish I had his imagination!

When Corinne woke up we ate an early dinner and decided to have brownies in a jar for dessert.  Lincoln thought they would be even better with a dab of vanilla (he was right!) and conversation hearts (I skipped on that part). 

That night Corinne and I did a few princess puzzles while Lincoln shot us with darts. 

We got a ton of errands run on Saturday morning, then decided to head to base for a haircut for Linc.  (Note to any military mom reading this--NEVER got to the old Italian man for a haircut for your son.  He obviously does not comprehend the words "skin", "faux hawk", "fade", or "brush").  After our trip to the chop shop was over, we headed up to San Onofre to visit with the Bacon's who were camping at the beach.  It was a bit chilly, but the kids loved running around at the playground.  I definitely need to get Lincoln into gymnastics this summer.  He is such a dare devil with climbing as high as he can and jumping off of things. 

Corinne mostly played it safe and stuck to the slides.

Then she relaxed a bit with Linda in the sun. 

The kids were mesmerized by the motorhome and all the hidden compartments.  They each went to the bathroom about five times in a three hour period just to check out to toilet.  They also caught a movie in the top bunk.  Before we left Corinne insisted on trying out the shower.  Luckily Linda was happy to let her check it out.  She thought it was the coolest thing ever to be able to shower in a car!

Lincoln had a major meltdown on the way home from the beach, but I will chalk it up to extreme exhaustion.  I knew a storm was brewing and his over the top niceness and patience would not last forever.  It felt like a bit of a low blow because things were going so well, but in the end, tantrums should be expected at this age.  We dealt with it and moved on. 


Sunday morning we woke up bright and early for church.  Then we headed home to prep for our date with Jenn, Warren, and baby Hunter.  I was prepping to make stromboli and turned around at the wrong moment only to hear a big clanging sound.  Then I found my marble rolling pin in pieces.  Bummer!  Apparently my house has settled a bit in the past few months and my countertop is now unlevel.  At least when marble breaks it turns into a sand material and not glass-like shards.  I used the bigger piece to haphazardly roll out the dough, then I turned it over to Lincoln to play "Gold Rush" with outside.  Guess what I am getting myself for my anniversary in June???

Jenn and Warren arrived shortly after my mishap and gave Hunter his lunch while I threw our dinner together.  Corinne was happy to help with the feeding.

Then we headed to Red Robin for our lunch.  Lincoln made sure he ate almost the exact same thing Uncle Warren had--even made him order a strawberry smoothie for a drink.  Then I sent the boys to the theater to see "Journey to the Center of the Earth 2" while Jenn, Corinne, Hunter, and I did a little shopping.  Part of me really wanted to see that movie with the kids myself, but I knew that this "man time" was more important in the scheme of things. 

Lincoln came home with a jawbreaker (I later dubbed it the slime ball) as a treat raving about how much fun he had with Uncle Warren.  He had a blast---after our big lunch they enjoyed popcorn, ice cream dibbs, and then ended the day with a jawbreaker because they couldn't find a gum ball.  Lincoln asked if I would ever let him have that much sugar and I told him probably not.  Then he asked if I was mad, and I assured him that I sort of expected some serious spoiling to go on while I was gone.  It was just what the doctor ordered. 

After a long day on Sunday, we decided to lay low on Monday.  Corinne woke up in a particularly good mood--which was a relief considering her crabbiness and missed nap from the busy day before. 

Lincoln decided he wanted to wear Marine clothes for the day, so we put on his camo pants and green shirt, then added a belt so he could hook on the light saber that arrived from Dad in the mail.  Then he grabbed his helmet, pistol, and rifle.  He looked pretty complete if you ask me. 

Corinne decided to dress up as a cowgirl for the day. 

I couldn't help but think about how grown up she looks lately.  My little baby is turning into a beautiful little girl. 

The kids had a good light saber battle before hitting the tub.

Lincoln taught us how to use his new water whistle that he got in science class. 

When I dried Corinne's hair for the night she asked me to put one of my feathers in her mane. 

On Tuesday, we met Brittany, Ethan, and Ellie at the park for some more outside playtime.  The boys played endlessly and Corinne reluctantly pushed through without a nap.  Ethan brought an extra gun for Lincoln and him to play Marines, and Lincoln did a good job of sharing his bike and scooter with Ethan. 

Corinne was a bit sensitive and ready to head home early at one point...

Then she found "my boy in the purple shirt" at the park.  She latched onto some 13 year old kid and talked him into riding scooters with her.  Then Corinne convinced him to push her on the swings and then she played a game of catch with him using his nerf football.  She went on to tell his mom that her name was Ariel--the Mermaid.  Oh my, she is going to be trouble!

Ethan, Ellie, and Brittany came home with us for showers and dinner before heading back. Brittany taught us how to make Ritz cracker mini pizzas--the boys loved them, but Corinne was tired and opted for a turkey dog. I will say that they taste just like a thin crust pizza. 

The next morning, I had to wake the kids up bright and early for their dentist appointments.  I was happy to hear that both kids had a clean bill of health!  Lincoln and I are doing a great job keeping his pearly whites clean. 

Corinne got a good report too, but still needs to work on quitting the thumb sucking habit.  She tells me all the time that she "is done sucking her thumby because I am going to be a teenager soon", then wipes her thumb off, only to pop it back in as soon as she gets tired.  I tried wrapping special princess band-aids around her thumb to keep her from putting it in her mouth.  But it wasn't much help.  She would just unwrap it when needed and then ask for a new one.  We were going through about six bandages a day and at $2.50 a box, it was becoming as expensive as a cigarette habit, so we threw the towel in on that adventure.  I might try lemon juice next. 

After the dentist we headed to base, then to a place called Kidsville with Brittany in Carlsbad for a Battalion Mom and Kids Social.  It was a big play area attached to the mall that had little rooms with various playstations.  Corinne immediately made a beeline to the pink room to play dress up and do girly things. 

She changed costumes quite a lot in a two hour period.  She was Sleeping Beauty, Pirate Princess, and Cheetah Girl. 

Lincoln and Ethan dressed up as Ninja Turtles and put on a play, then slid down the castle slides.

Here is a shot of Corinne running into the castle to be saved from the monster.

Playing tug-a-war with a huge stuffed snake was also a big hit. 

After our two hours of playtime, Corinne was more than ready for a nap.  She fell asleep as we were leaving the parking lot and Lincoln drifted off on our long drive home.  Miraculously I was able to transfer Corinne to her bed when we got home and she napped for another hour and a half.  Lincoln woke up, ready for a snack when we pulled into the garage.  I was beat and ready for a nap myself.  Luckily my little gentleman agreed to let me set a timer so that I could take a cat nap on the couch with him while he laid with me.  I only got about 15 minutes or real sleep in, but that was all that I needed.  After my power nap (complete with tons of Lincoln snuggles) we got up and undecorated the hosue for Valentine's Day and then got things ready for dinner.  We took the bikes around the block to get the mail and played outside with the neighbors for quite awhile, then headed in for dinner and a movie.  The kids loved A Dolphin Tale and learning about people and animals with disabilities. 

Overall, we had a great week with mininal meltdowns and frustration.  The chair and the chart seem to be working in my favor, and Lincoln has really been a joy to be around (thank God because Corinne and her teething have made for a very feisty home environment).  Part of me almost feels like I won't have much to talk to the phsycologist about next Monday, but I am always open to suggestions about new things to try.  I know his "man date" with Warren was priceless, and I will do my best to get him a weekly dose of testosterone time with other kids or aduls.


QUOTES OF THE WEEK
Quote 1: After I apologized to Lincoln for nagging him to pick up toys.
Lincoln:  "It's okay.  I know you get tired of doing everything for everyone else.  I still love you even when you are naughty."
At least he cuts me some slack from time to time.

Quote 2:  After spending the day with Uncle Warren.
Lincoln:  "This is the greatest day I have ever had in my whole life."
Thank you Warren for giving my son what I can't while Nathan is gone!

Quote 3:  Randomly at dinner to Corinne and I.
Lincoln:  "Hey guys, when Sleeping Beauty goes up to be with God, you guys are going to be the last beautiful people on earth."
Quite the charmer, but damn you Sleeping Beauty for keeping Corinne and I in second and third place in the beauty contest! 

Quote 4:  After putting the feather in Corinne's hair, she climbed on top of my linen bastket with a blanket.
Corinne:  "I am a birdy and this is my nest.  Cheep, cheep."
Cutest little bird I have ever seen!

Quote 5:  While twisting up leftover pipe cleaners from Valentine's Day making these for Nathan...

Me:  "Why do you keep making those for Dad?  He already has a ton in his pile to send to him.  You should save them for another project."
Lincoln:  "He needs a lot of them because he is a big Marine.  If he doesn't have them he will feel like he is a little man that doesn't know how to fight the bad guys."
Who knew that pink pipe cleaner bracelets could make a Marine feel so manly???

Quote 6:  While we are driving.Lincoln:  In a hillbilly accent, "What the hell is this?" (I have Dakota Fred from Gold Rush to thank for this).
Me:  "What the heck.  What the heck is what you need to say. Hell isn't a very nice word."
Lincoln:  "Huh?  Why do they say, 'Hell to the Princess Aurora' on Sleeping Beauty?"
Me:  "No they say 'hail' , like oh you are great and awesome, not 'hell'."
Lincoln:  "Hail not hell"
Me:  "Yep."
Glad we got that cleared up.