How quickly the days pass

I cannot believe it's been so long since I posted anything noteworthy on this blog! I apologize. This fall has been incredibly busy, following a summer that passed by like a whirlwind. Perhaps this is indicative of life with three children, and life when those three children begin participating in activities and school. It's crazy!

A quick update:

• Thanksgiving was fabulous. Our friends the Newmans and Galloways joined us again, which has become our holiday tradition. The kids enjoyed a craft while I finished preparing dinner. Then we chowed on some delicious food! Afterward, the kids watched a holiday movie or played while the parents enjoyed dessert.
• I have just recovered from two weeks of a flu. Brendan had it after Halloween. I thought the rest of us had escaped, but no such luck. It was miserable. Ryan had a mild version and Kelsey seemed to be fighting some sort of bug but never ran a fever to speak of.
• Brendan is in his second week of swim school at a local swim club. He's enjoying it. I like that the coaches take a no nonsense approach, which seems to benefit our very social son. He's learning drills and gaining more strength and enjoying it. I am experiencing life as a year-round swimming parent, which means I sit in a 100-degree natatorium for an hour while it's 15 degrees outside. Wow. I have to pack everyone a summery outfit to bear the heat inside, while shoving loads of winter stuff in the locker. Fun times.
• Kelsey is really enjoying preschool! She's hesitant some mornings, but she loves the projects they do and playing in the sandbox.
• Ryan and Kelsey performed in their school's Nativity Play last week. How darling! Ryan's class played the handbells, quite well I might add, and performed the play. Kelsey's class joined all the other classes in singing three songs, which included hand movements. They did awesome!
• This is our last week of school before the holiday break, which will be action-packed. We're going to the indoor waterpark Kalahari one night. We'll visit with friends another. Then it's Christmas and all that surrounds this wonderful holiday. After Christmas, Grammy and Papa arrive for a nice, long visit.
• Finally, we are thrilled with our Horned Frogs! We're not so thrilled about being in the "Separate But Equal" Bowl, but such is life. Ken and I will be attending the game, which is perhaps the best Christmas present ever.

More updates soon, I promise!

Fall clean-up

Cleaning up the field, one leaf at a time.

Cutting edge fashion

Butterfly Kelsey

Spidey-Ryan

Milestones and memories

Today began with a milestone: Kelsey attended her first morning of preschool. She may have been a tiny bit reluctant, but she quickly went into the classroom when invited and never looked back. She's not completely new to the concept of preschool; she sends her big brother off three days a week. Still, I thought she did remarkably well.

Her teachers reported that she listened well, played with the kitchen, and used nice words. She didn't cry once, but was eagerly awaiting my arrival at 11:30. Her hug was wholehearted and genuine when she jumped into my arms.

We'll have to wait a week to meet the lead teacher, Miss Donna. But we were thrilled to hear that she's in Texas, of all places, meeting her first grandchild.

This afternoon we revisited long-ago memories: We dropped in at KidSpace, the day care center in downtown Detroit that Brendan attended for 4 1/2 years. We haven't been back since his Pre-K graduation, because after the birth of Kelsey, Brendan began kindergarten and we hired a nanny (until I decided to stay home and freelance).

Brendan was fortunate to have many loving, wonderful caregivers who played a significant role in our lives. As soon as Miss Terrie, his Pre-K teacher, saw us, she was beaming. She couldn't believe little Brendan was so big! Then we visited Miss Jackie, who has a special place in our hearts. Not only is she one of the kindest, most gentle persons you'll ever meet, she also helped us through Brendan's very difficult separation anxiety. When he would arrive to the toddler room each morning, he was hesitant until he saw Miss Jackie. He would snuggle up to her, wave goodbye to me, and begin his morning ritual of building a tower with giant-sized blocks. I honestly don't know what we would have done without her.

Seeing grown-up Brendan "warms my heart," Miss Jackie said today. She still has a photo of her and Brendan on her refrigerator. She immediately called Miss Melissa, who was Brendan's caregiver in the infant room and who showered that boy with so much love and sweetness! Brendan and Miss Melissa talked for several minutes on the phone.

Miss Tasha, one of the infant room caregivers, was also there and couldn't believe how much Kelsey resembled the boys.

It was comforting in many ways to return to KidSpace. As much as any mother dislikes sending her children to a day care center, she can also take great comfort in a place that is truly special and feels almost like an extension of your family.

We seemed to be blessed to have found another center with a similar feeling. At KidSpace, we knew it was incredibly rare and wonderful that the infant teachers who cared for Brendan were still around 3 years later to care for Ryan. And now 4 years later, most of the teachers are still there! At our new preschool, where both Ryan and Kelsey attend, we have found a similar family. The teachers and caregivers have been in the school for 5, 10, 15 years. It's an unmistakable feeling that you can sense in how the classrooms are organized, how the staff gets along and how the children are treated. We'll look forward to one day, returning to this school and seeing the same faces who'll remember Ryan and Kelsey.

Scary treats

Ryan and his friend Andrew made yummy brownies in the shape of
pumpkins and scary monsters. Delicious!

Building forts

Ryan and Kelsey built this fort, or tunnel as Kelsey calls it, this
morning. They've filled it with stuffed animals, pillows, blankets,
blankies and books. Ryan is attempting to read to his sis now.

Our 10th Anniversary!

Today Hubby and I celebrate 10 years of a wonderful marriage. We tied the knot in 1999 at St. Patricks Catholic Church in downtown Fort Worth, a city close to our hearts. That is where we met, began dating and where our beloved Horned Frogs reside. After a beautiful ceremony, we took a carriage ride through the busy downtown streets and arrived at the Petroleum Club for the reception, which was full of fun, family and friends. An evening we'll never forget!

The past 10 years have given us so many surprises! We always laugh and say, "Who would have guessed we'd end up in Detroit?" Well, neither of us would have. In 10 years we have celebrated birthdays, new jobs, new homes, and most importantly, three beautiful children. We are truly blessed with all that we have in our lives, but it's knowing that we have one another's love that keeps us both going.

Ice cold beverages

Every TCU fan who enjoys cold beverages on the patio needs this: http://www.abarr.net/Collegiate_Coolers.html.

Farewell

As many of you already know, a dear friend, Steve Damm, passed away on Monday after a long battle with a brain tumor. I know Steve because of my friendship with his amazing wife, Tyra, who was a co-worker while I worked at The Dallas Morning News.

The newspaper published a wonderful obituary today. Read it here.

Also, Tyra, as she has throughout this journey, has written a compelling, beautiful and heart-breaking story about Steve's final day. It is worth reading, though be prepared to shed some tears.

I ask that you keep the Damm family in your thoughts and prayers in the days and months to come.

Bye, bye crib

After a month of climbing out of various pack 'n plays and cribs,
Kelsey has graduated to a toddler bed. She loves it! I'm hoping the
hard part of the transition is behind us, left in various cities
during our August travels!

Thankfully ...

Ken and I were able to have an evening out, just what I needed, on our
last evening in NYC.

Our dear friend Sharilyn kept the hotel room quiet while we had a
couple of light beers at McSorley's, a NYC establishment for 150
years. (They have the dust to prove it and a review from 1914.)

Afterward we visited Grand Central Station. It was almost 11 years ago
that we did the same. Ken then proposed to me in Grand Central. We
celebrate 10 years of marriage next week, and this was a perfect
celebration.

By the end of Thursday ...

I was ready to be someplace like this, with adult conversation and
someone serving me.

Brooklyn Children's Museum

Today we hit the Brooklyn Children's Museum for the afternoon with
cousins Allison and Kaitlyn. The kids loved the Jump exhibit -- a
place where the kids could climb, hang, push and jump. It should be
mandatory warm-up for all boys before school each day. All of the kids
loved playing in the water, and none wanted to leave. Neither did I,
since I was dreading the long walk back to the subway and more steps
to climb while carrying a very heavy double stroller. Somehow we made
it and took a quick spin through Times Square before calling it a night.

Empire State Building

Ken finished training early enough on Tuesday for us to walk from
Madison Park up to the Empire State Building. Brendan loved it, just
as he has loved every other stop on this trip. Ryan enjoyed looking,
but only briefly. Kelsey was most interested in the bird on the ledge,
but did say "Wow" when we first walked out. (This Lego structure in
the gift shop was also cool!)

City park

Tuesday afternoon we ventured off to Madison Park at 5th Ave. and
25th. The quaint little park was packed with kids (and what appeared
to be a whole bunch of nannies). My three were thrilled to run wild
and just play!

Museum of Natural History

This morning we visited the American Museum of Natural History, with
help from my friend and former co-worker Sharilyn Hufford. The kids
loved it! We saw dinosaurs, mammals, sea creatures and more. Their
favorite was the Discovery Room, where Brendan helped assemble
dinosaur bones while Ryan and Kelsey dug for bones.

Lady Liberty

We finally made it into Manhattan today. First stop: Statue of
Liberty. A must. Brendan, in particular, loved it. We made it up into
the pedestal. So cool!

One reason we heart Texas

... Because you never find TCU gear at the grocery store.

Happy 4th birthday, Ryan!

My sweet Ryan is 4. Happy birthday!

Ryan, at 4:

• He's 42.5 inches, which is about a half-inch taller than Brendan at the same age and is three inches taller than he was on his third birthday. He weighs 38-39 pounds. Several people in the past few days have commented on how tall he is (saying he looks closer to 5).


• Ryan has an incredible heart. He is always thinking and doing things for his brother, sister and dad. And expects nothing in return.


• Ryan can swim a full 25. He completed his first one a week before he turned 4! He was also the first 3-year-old to graduate from Level 3 at the Colony's swim lessons program. He's a natural fish in the water and feels comfortable swimming around the diving well.


• Ryan is going through a picky-eater phase. While he was 3, he decided he no longer liked noodles with sauce, BBQ and chicken. He even went through a phase (gasp!) when he declared he didn't eat pizza. He still loves, thankfully, eating most fruits. And he'll polish off a bowl of carrots on his own.


• He knows his ABCs, can recognize letters and can count to 30. He's also good with his colors and shapes. He can spell and write his name!


• Ryan loves sports in general, and seems to have a knack for them. He's good with the soccer ball and loves playing t-ball. He also likes to be run fast while being chased!


• Ryan is riding a bike with training wheels, and he loves it. He's able to keep up fairly well and even rides from our house to the pool with Dad and Brendan.


• Ryan knows more about Star Wars than I am sure is acceptable for a child of his age. But he often reads the same books as his brother, and we have quite the Star Wars collection!


• Ryan doesn't nap anymore. He gave it up entirely when he stopped attending preschool in June. (Even then, he only napped once or twice a week.) He still needs downtime, though.


• He sleeps with many stuffed animals, including Marty (a blue and red puppy), and his prized blue-and-white stripe blankies.


• Ryan's bedtime is generally between 8-8:30. I'd love for him to be asleep at 8, but his brother isn't. Since they share a room, it's not easy getting one to bed without the other.


• He plays well with his brother and sister, though he forgets to use his words when he's frustrated.


• Ryan is very protective of his little sister. Mess with her on the playground and you'll have to deal with him!


• In September, Ryan will begin Pre-K. It's hard to believe he only has one year remaining until kindergarten! He'll be attending a new school, where he'll be with a few friends he already knows.


• Ryan loves superheroes and Cars. He still plays with his Cars cars nonstop.

Update: Hairdo photos!

As requested ... photos of Kelsey's curls and 'do!

Cousins Kylie and Kelsey have matching 'dos!

Cousins & ice cream

Kylie and Brendan enjoy celebratory ice cream at the Dairy King. What
a way to top off a fun championship swim meet!

So girly

Our house has been abuzz all day with talk of ponytails. If you know me, you know that I don't switch up my hair too much. In part, it's because I have this wonderfully naturally curly hair that is a huge challenge. But I also lack any creativity when it comes to hair.

Yesterday, though, I decided to put Kelsey's hair up. Her hair has really grown in as of late, so I thought it would be fun to pull the sides up into a little ponytail. Later in the day, while we were buying diapers, I shopped for girly hair accessories, too.

This has sparked quite a discussion between the boys. Brendan has asked at least four times, "But why does she have to do her hair like that? I don't get it." He's also insisted that she "doesn't look any different."

Ryan is quite fascinated by all of this. He helped pick out the hair accessories and was particularly bent out of shape today when Kelsey ditched the purple holder for a blue one, which didn't match her outfit. He likes telling Kelsey how cute she is with her hair done.

Never would I have guessed that a simple change in hairstyle would spark so much attention by ... the boys!

Summertime fun

I can hardly believe it'll be August in less than two weeks, which means four things:

1. My sweet, little Ryan will turn 4.
2. My sweet Brendan (who is not so little) will turn 7. Wow!
3. We will be in the motherland before we know it.
4. And we'll have 5 weeks of summer left before school starts.

July has been incredibly busy, but in a good way. Brendan has been attending his summer league swim team practice each morning at 9. Like last summer, I wasn't going to require he attend every practice. But I am proud to say that he has! In fact, he doesn't battle in the morning about getting ready, which is most unusual for this boy.

In addition, we are in our fourth week of swim lessons at the same pool. There's a 75-minute break between swim practice and lessons. Some days we head home, where everyone gets changed and lathered up with sunscreen. Other days we hang out at the pool and just wait. Nearly every day, we pack a lunch and stay at the pool after lessons so we can swim for an hour.

Kelsey participated in lessons for the first two-week session. Ha! "Participated" may be a slight exaggeration. She wanted to play and do her own thing. By the last day, she did actually participate, but popped out of the pool after each and every activity to tell me about it. She's quite the momma's girl these days.

Ryan is doing great in his class. He's extremely comfortable in deeper water now. His dive is looking so great! He shoots right into the water like a missile. We think he'll be ready to join the novice group on the swim team next year.

I wasn't sure Brendan would want to take lessons. In fact, he complained the first week. But after the first two-week session, he insisted on signing up for more. (In part, that's because he moved up from Level 3 to 4, then graduated to 5.) This group really focuses on stroke instruction, which is exactly what he needs. The extra practice is good!

The rest of our summer days includes playdates, bike rides and playing outside. Brendan and I just began reading "The Tales of Despereaux." Our reward when we finish -- which should be soon since Brendan is completely hooked -- will be to watch the movie. We're also finishing up "Sideways Stories from Wayside School," which was one of my childhood favorites.

This week, Brendan is attending art camp in the afternoons. I'm excited to see what he learns! We're also eagerly awaiting the arrival of cousin Kylie and Grammy. Oh my ... these girls will be on the run between numerous swim team activities this week. They'll be ready for Sunday to come, when we'll return (hopefully) to our slower pace.

Happy 4th!

4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. (This might actually surprise my family, who probably remembers sensitive little Laura sitting inside the car or house to watch fireworks. I'm not a fan of loud noises!)

I love this day because of the variety of festivities. Because it's in the middle of summer. Because we get to be patriotic and wave our flags. Mostly I love it because it's a celebration of our great country. We truly have so much to be thankful for -- elections, freedom of speech, the freedom to make choices about our life on a daily basis, clean water, a beautiful home (that far exceeds what we need to survive), the ability to pursue our dreams. What a great country!

We celebrated early this morning! Plymouth boasts its 4th of July parade as the earliest in Michigan -- a 7:30 a.m. start. Now, six years ago, our family didn't hesitate attending such an early parade. Our little guy Brendan was an early-riser as a baby. He'd be awake at 5:45 a.m., which meant we were often bored and ready to do something by 7 a.m.!

Now, life has slowed a bit. We had to set an alarm and wake all three children before 7 so we could watch the parade. The kids were a bit groggy, and Brendan protested. Yet they all enjoyed the parade -- the anticipation in wondering what's coming next, the sights and sounds, the old-fashioned cars and bikes that delight children even today. Brendan was bummed that the monster truck, a staple in this parade, was absent.

After the parade, we joined the Newman family at Panera for breakfast and shopped at the farmer's market. At the moment, I'm waiting for Kelsey to wake from her nap. Then we are off to a friend's house for a 4th of July BBQ followed shortly by a birthday party for our friend, Jackson.

Happy 4th to all and to our great country!

School's out: Bring on summer!

I'm so far behind on posting to the blog, that I don't know where to begin!

Last weekend marked two weeks since school ended for Ryan and Brendan. Woo hoo! I think we were all ready for summer, particularly me. First grade homework was a bit much!


We haven't had too many lazy, summer days since. A recap of the past two weeks:

• On the last day of school, June 12, Brendan only had a half day of class. I picked him and his friend, Noah, up from school and we celebrated at Joe's Deli with yummy lasagna.
  
  After some playtime, we headed to Ann Arbor for Ryan's eye doctor appointment. The good news is his stye continues to shrink and no longer looks infected. Yeah!
  
  We then went straight to the pool because the weather was absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, a small child had pooped in the pool just after I had wrestled with Kelsey in the changing room to get her dressed to swim. Sigh ... if we had known the pool would be closed 30 minutes, we would have headed home and saved our energy for music in the park. Oh well, we did have fun swimming once we were in, and hubby joined us with pizza in hand later in the afternoon.
  
• Hubby and I had prepared ourselves for a very busy Saturday. It will go down in Healy family history as one of the busiest for our young family. Hubby did his open-water swim at 8 a.m., then returned home where I was waiting with Brendan to take him to his t-ball game. Brendan and I left t-ball early to go back home, where Ken would take Brendan to his final soccer game and I would put Kelsey down for her nap. After the soccer game, Ken returned home, where Ryan and I were waiting so that the two boys and I could attend our friend Mikaela's fourth birthday party. Exhausting, isn't it? We made it to the party by 2, just a few minutes late, and the boys painted pottery pieces with friends before eating cupcakes. It was a nice, low-key party. Finally, we had some downtime. We rested at home for an hour before going to our neighbors' house for an end-of-the-school-year BBQ, where the boys learned to play Bocce. (Ryan is surprisingly good!) Around 7:15 p.m., we walked the kids home and changed Kelsey and Ryan into their PJs in time for our sitter to come over. Then Brendan, hubby and I headed out to our friend's 40th surprise birthday party.


• All of Saturdays craziness meant more on Sunday. I spent all morning packing for a short trip to Ohio, where we would see our friends from Texas, who were driving up for a funeral. We agreed to meet at their sister's lakehouse, which is about 2 hours and 40 minutes from our house. Unfortunately, we also had two birthday parties to attend on Sunday. So I dropped off Brendan with a friend, whose mom agreed to take B to his party. Then Ryan, Kelsey, hubby and I attended a pool party for Ryan's sweet friend, Andrew. We returned home by 2, and I put Kelsey down for a short nap while I continued packing and loading up the car. Ken picked up Brendan, and finally, at 4 p.m., we hit the road.
  
• We spent less than 24 hours in Ohio, but it was worth it! We love visiting with the Forners! We didn't do any swimming in the lake. In fact, most of the time we played games at the house or rode on the paddle boat through the channel. Tons of fun, though!
  
• Brendan began the Colony Swim Team the following Tuesday. He's already competed in two meets and has improved his times from last season. That's all we can ask for!
  
• On the 18th, Grandma and Grandpa Healy arrived from Texas for a week-long visit. The kids had a blast seeing their grandparents, and Ken and I enjoyed a night out on Saturday. It was also nice having them here for Father's Day, which we celebrated by sending the boys to the Tigers game. We're all very excited that we'll be seeing all of the grandparents again in just six or seven weeks!
  
• Last Tuesday, I made a day-long trip to DC for my freelance work. It was a long day, but productive. As a bonus, I was able to meet my friend and former co-worker Stacey for a quick drink before heading home.

Send your prayers

My dear friends Tyra and Steve and their sweet children need our prayers and good thoughts right now. Please send them their way.

http://checkonsteve.blogspot.com

Purple goggles & other tales

Fridays are traditionally our Music in the Park nights, but we were
torn today. The weather was gorgeous, but a 3:00 eye appointment meant
we couldn't go for an early afternoon swim.

Yet I was inclined to swim since today marked the beginning of summer.
(School was out at 11:38.) So we opted to skip the concert and swim
instead. With a busy day ahead tomorrow, we didn't want to squeeze too
much into our evening.

At the pool Kelsey made her debut off the diving board -- twice. She
loved it, though cried a second after going under the water once. She
also showed off her new purple goggles.

Joys of cooking

Ryan assisted me in baking delicious, chocolatey brownies today. His
reward was sweet!

Tough guy

As part of Ryan's preschool program, he has been attending Tae Kwon Do classes for a half hour each Tuesday since mid-April. He requested it and has enjoyed each class, coming home eager to show us what he's learned.

Yesterday, when I picked him from school, I saw his name in big letters on the dry erase board. The note explained that he was the only class member to successfully break wood during the class!

Ryan was so excited to show me the piece of wood, signed by his teacher with the note, "Broke by Ryan," and to demonstrate how he did it. He repeated the story numerous times for Daddy, Brendan and the family.

Congrats, Ryan!

Ryan demonstrates his power move that broke the wood.

Ryan with the wood that his teachers signed for him.

MVP

Brendan is playing t-ball with the Rays this summer. We've found
ourself in a good league with a great set of coaches.

In today's game, Brendan was outstanding as pitcher and third baseman,
as well as in the outfield. He also had some good hits, despite the
tee being so low for such a tall kid.

For his efforts, Brendan was named the team MVP today! He received the
game ball with his name, date and Rays written on it. He was thrilled!

Bye, bye highchair?

Our kitchen table has been a game of musical chairs in the past week.
Kelsey is sneaking into Ryan's booster seat, which Ryan has seemingly
decided he doesn't need. This change has displaced Brendan, who seems
content taking Ken's spot. All of this means that the highchair, one
of the last remaining reminders of a baby, may be on it's way out.

The best gifts

My best gifts on Mother's Day didn't come from gift boxes or wrapped with pretty bows. The best gifts, the ones I will always remember and hold onto much longer than anything else, came in so many unexpected ways:

The portrait Brendan drew of me at school, that is far better than any drawing I could ever make.

The beautiful frame made at preschool that was given to me by a very proud and beaming Ryan.

The two-hour afternoon adventure that I took with my two little boys as we all set out on our bikes. The boys couldn't stop looking over the shoulder for a glimpse of me riding right behind them.

The out-of-the-blue hugs that Kelsey gives that are so sweet and loving you never want her to let go.

The brave six-year-old who decided on Saturday night to present me with an early gift: He brushed his teeth with strawberry toothpaste, a big challenge for him.

The same six-year-old who chose to try four new foods -- steak, pineapple, cucumbers and green peppers dipped in BBQ sauce -- during our Mother's Day dinner.

The sound of sweet Kelsey singing "Mom Mi" while she plays.

The joy of watching my three little cutie pies laugh together as they play in the backyard on a sunny, spring day.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful mothers! We celebrated early this morning: the kids slept in until 7:30 (woo hoo!), Brendan wheeled in a new bike into our living room decorated with cards and a gift bag, then hubby treated us to pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Just perfect!

Brendan treats me to a big hug and a bike!

We plan to have a lazy, relaxing day. I hope to take my bike for a new spin with the boys. (It's not yet equipped with a baby seat to take Kelsey out.) Later, hubby is cooking dinner on the grill despite a cooler May day.

With my three little cutie pies.

Updates:

I've been behind on posting updates lately. We've been too busy with life! A couple of noteworthy mentions, though:

On Wednesday, Brendan played his best soccer game to date. He scored two goals and was a great teammate in every sense of the word. We were proud of his efforts, which earned him an extra special orange ice cream treat from Dairy King!

Spring is here! It truly is amazing how beautiful weather can lift your spirits. We've enjoyed warmer days and the trees and flowers blooming all around us. I wish the blooms would last all summer long. My favorite is the tree pictured above with Brendan with the white blooms. The fragrance, similiar to honeysuckle, reminds me of visiting my grandmother's house but also just smells delicious.

Dress-up girl

Kelsey celebrated her birthday with friends today. She had so much fun
and received wonderful gifts. This was one of them! More details to
come ...

Art show

A piece of Brendan's school artwork was selected to appear in the inaugural Plymouth-Canton Community Schools art show, which was held last night at Plymouth High School. We've been looking forward to this event for the past month, and it lived up to all the hype.

Hubby and I decided to leave the little ones at home with a sitter so we could fully enjoy the moment with Brendan. (If they had attended, we would have spent our time chasing after them in a crowded, hot cafeteria.) Of course, as soon as we pulled up to the high school, the heavens opened. It rained hard and fast, the wind was wild, and we could see plenty of lightning strikes. We decided to wait out the storm in the car.

After a few minutes, the rain let up. We took our chance to run inside. Thankfully, we made it in though my feet were wet from the streams flowing over the sidewalks and parking lot!

I was immediately surprised by the big turnout for the art show. The place was packed! We saw several familiar faces. Brendan made a beeline to the back corner, where his school's artwork was being displayed.

His piece was the Anasazi spider, which he drew, the cut out the various shapes and glued together. He did a wonderful job! We were so proud, and I think he was, too. I will say that most kids his age seemed to be disappointed that they hadn't received awards. (Next year, perhaps they should consider giving all elementary-aged children a ribbon, and distinguish winners with another prize?)

We walked around looking at the various other entries, which were created by kindergartners through high school seniors. Some of the artwork was quite impressive!

After the show, we treated Brendan to the Dairy King. The best part of the treat: They were serving their delicious orange soft serve, which is usually only served during the summer (or the very warmest days of the year). Brendan was thrilled.

Kelsey is 2!

Happy birthday to my sweet Kelsey, who is 2 today! She started the day early and has enjoyed the beautiful weather outside with a neighborhood walk and a quick lunch treat with Dad. The rest of the day should be interesting since she's exercising her right to fight the nap at this moment.

Drumroll, please. Kelsey at 2:

• She's learning new words every day: popsicle, cupcake, reach, ghost, scary, bug, spidey (spider), purple. (Why do I always draw a blank when I sit down to type?)
• This week she begun saying "No" with all the attitude you come to love in a 2-year-old. Fun times!
• In her dance class, she particularly likes to gallop and spin in circles on her toes.
• She loves to wrestle on the floor with her brothers, particularly Brendan. (She knocked out his loose tooth on St. Patrick's Day.)
• She naps once a day, around noon. The length varies widely. She used to hold steady between 2-3 hours. Without the pacifier, her naps have been a bit shorter. :(
• She still loves to eat, eat, and eat some more. She hasn't picked up any of the pickiness that toddlers often do. That'll come soon, I am sure!
• Her favorite toys right now include books, her doll and puppy, Pablo (of The Backyardigans fame), any and every ball, and Ryan's Batcave and Batman accessories.
• She still has what I consider to be baby hair. That makes her look quite a bit younger than some of her 2-year-old friends. The curls come and go depending on the day, but they are definitely there.
• Kelsey loves going down slides.
• Her favorite shows are "Wow Wow Wubbzy" and "The Backyardigans."
• Her favorite color is purple, or so she says. Nevermind that everything is "purple" to her these days.

Obsessed with Star Wars

Much of the conversation between Brendan and anyone else is all about Star Wars. Why Anakin Skywalker turned to the dark side. How Chancellor Palpatine convinced Anakin to do so. The different color lightsabers that the Jedi carry. How Obi Wan let Anakin fall into the lava on the volcano.

You get the idea.

Brendan's artwork further illustrates his interest in Star Wars. Tonight Brendan drew one of the Clone Troopers from the newest movie, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He has two sets of playing cards with pictures of Star Wars heroes and villians. He based his picture on one of the cards.

End of an era?

As parents, you never really plan these things. Well, perhaps you do if your child is 5 and you realize you must stop a bad habit that should have been stopped long ago.

The pacifier -- paci in our house -- has been an important part of each of our children's infancy and toddlerhood. While I support the idea of paci, I've been careful not to let the kids (or myself) become too dependent on it. At a certain age, usually after a year, we gradually encouraged each of our children to only use paci during naps and at bedtime.

For Brendan, paci was a hit from day one. He loved it. In fact, when he was about 4-5 weeks old, I remember watching as he popped paci back in his mouth from where it sat on his shoulder. (This was quite impressive for his young age and also to a new mom!) Yet, one January day when he was 17 months old, Brendan gave it up. I didn't ask him to, nor had I suggested it. He had chewed a hole in one paci already, and did it again to his other. (We didn't tote around a dozen of them, just two.) I was sure our world would come to an end, that he'd never sleep again.

But he did, just like any other night. At naptime, too.

For Ryan, I tried to rid him of paci around the same time. He wasn't convinced, though. Perhaps I shouldn't have pushed paci quite so hard in the first place. He never loved it from day one, but he did use it. Ultimately, Ryan chose his own timing to rid his world of paci: one week before Kelsey was born. This wasn't my ideal timing! But, as with his brother, he handled it without looking back.

Kelsey has been a tad more attached to her paci. Since Christmas, I have tried on several occasions to wean her of paci. It hasn't always gone so well. She'd cry for it in the car while running errands or refuse to give it up after a nap. In the past few weeks, though, she's gained some confidence without it. Last week I realized that I no longer leave the house with paci hidden in my pocket, just in case. When she wakes from her nap, she spits paci out into my hand before leaving her crib.

So it was last night, as I went to put Kelsey to bed, that I realized I hadn't a clue where paci was. It wasn't in its normal "spot" where I keep it between nap and bedtime. I was convinced it was hiding in her crib. She didn't have paci when she got up from her nap, right? I looked in every crevice, under every blanket, even checked under the crib. There were no signs of paci.

I explained to Kelsey that we lost it and she'd have to sleep without it. She had napped once without paci, so I knew she could do it. Still, she wasn't thrilled. She cried and whined and threw a fit. And at 9 p.m., she finally fell asleep. We didn't hear from her until 6:15 this morning.

At naptime today, she gave me a frown when I reminded her that paci was lost. (Note to self: Don't bring it up unless she asks.) She cried once in her crib, but after a little drink of milk, she settled in. She was asleep 15 minutes later.

Tonight, we tried the bedtime routine again. Admittedly, it may be harder on me to have paci out of the picture. It was my easy way of avoiding a battle, since Kelsey almost never wants to go to bed these days. She'd rather chase after her brothers. But I put her in her crib. She fussed a bit, asked for some milk, then talked herself to sleep.

The departure of paci marks the end of an era in the Healy house. It's a sure sign of a baby, and it's gone! Soon the diapers will be out the door and we'll be deep in preschoolerhood (is that a word?). And I bet there will be no looking back.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all! We started early, with an Easter egg hunt in the basement (the Easter Bunny's favorite hiding spot in our house), church, followed by a wonderful brunch. Now we're home while Kelsey naps and the boys enjoy their treasures from the Bunny.

Kelsey cried at the sight of the Easter Bunny, but happily took a piece of candy and waved "goodbye."

The brunch was at the Inn at St. John's, which is a beautiful setting in an old seminary. Before we were seated, we explored the many hallways, the chapel and the beautiful arches.

Kelsey was particularly intrigued by the birds and flowers in the garden.

All three kids were ready to head home after brunch. It's a beautiful day, so we plan to be outside this afternoon.

Easter egg fun

This morning we attempted to dye our Easter eggs. The boys were super excited to do this, since Ryan had colored two eggs at preschool yesterday. (Predictably, both were smashed when he dropped the basket he insisted on carrying all afternoon and evening.)

Kelsey participated this year and did a great job, other than being a tad impatient. Hmm ... that may have been all three kids!

We opted for food coloring instead of the tablets you buy in the Easter egg coloring sets. The results were good. I think the kids created a very colorful batch of eggs!

Kelsey wanted "purple" for her Egg. This is her favorite color, and also happens to be the only color she can say!

Ryan, working very hard on his green and blue eggs.

Brendan won the award for least messiest, which is actually quite a feat for our Messy Marvin!

Brendan, Kelsey & Ryan show off their colorful Easter egg collection.

Catching up

I can hardly believe it is April and that my sweet Kelsey will be 2 in less than three weeks. We've been busy, as usual, but thought I'd take a moment to post a few updates:

• Ryan has had a stye in his left eye for more than six months. At first, it would come and go. Then it started to stay longer and grew bigger, and Kelsey scratched it one day, causing it to bleed. We made a few trips to the pediatrician, who eventually referred us to an opthalmologist. (Would you believe there is a 3-4 month wait to get into the U-M Kellogg Eye Center?!?)
  
  For at least two months, we've been applying an ointment to both eyes (the styes like to spread) twice a day. We're also supposed to be cleaning it with baby shampoo daily and applying warm compresses for 5-10 minutes a few times a day. Well, for any of you who didn't notice, Ryan is 3. So we're lucky if he agrees to the daily cleaning, and we're lottery winners if he actually holds a warm compress on his eye for more than 10 seconds.
  
  I have been mostly skeptical that this treatment would ever work, particularly if it depended on these warm compresses. Happily, I can report, that Ryan's eyes almost look normal. They styes are getting smaller. I doubt they'll be gone forever until we can apply the compresses, but I can handle that.
  


Ryan's eyes are improving, even since this photo was taken a couple of weeks ago.



• Brendan lost his third tooth -- on St. Patrick's Day. He is Irish, after all! Kelsey knocked his tooth out while the two rolled around wrestling on the living room floor. (Aside: No doubt that Kelsey will grow up rough around the edges!) Brendan was treated to ice cream at Dairy King and a visit from the Tooth Fairy that night.
  
• Earlier in March, Brendan had a read-in at school. He packed a bag with his sleeping bag, pillow, slippers and multiple favorite books. The class read all day long. Ryan was upset that he couldn't do the same at his school. So we staged a read-in at home. Both Kelsey and Ryan loved it!

Kelsey and Ryan, during their read-in. They were happy to snuggle in their sleeping bags on this rainy Friday and look through books. Ryan stuck around a bit longer than Kelsey.