All I want for Christmas...

are potty-trained children. Or a nanny.

In my defense, I have bronchitis and am completely exhausted. Plus Nick had pre-school this morning, so we had to get up and get moving, instead of getting some extra rest.

On the bright side, no one will ever again question my petnames of "Chaos" and "Mayhem" any longer.

And yes, I did indeed first go grab the camera to take pictures and then took the powder away from Mayhem.

xoxo

Deb

November 09 wrap up

It's been an incredibly busy couple of weeks. For Mom and Dad. Chaos and Mayhem have been their usual helpful selves, doing what they do best to assist us...

Recently we celebrated Thanksgiving at Jason's parents home with Mommom Schenk and Uncle Mike. Uncle Mike kept the kids entertained, while Jason helped out Lane with dinner. Since there was nothing I could do to help anyone, I kept Stephen company and watched football. All day. Which made for an exceptionally happy Debbie.

Our dear friends from Mississippi (Joe, Maggie and Chloe) came North for a visit. Maggie and I dumped the kids on the boys and escaped to the Mall for a couple of hours... again, more happiness for the Deb.

Joe, Maggie and Chloe stayed with Joe's sister, Becky, another dear friend. Becky and her husband, Kamar, are Bree's godparents and the parents of Layla and Sophia. During the Mississippi invasion, we celebrated Sophia's first birthday. Bree especially enjoyed the Becky-homemade-cupcakes. Anyone who knows Becky will understand why the fact that she made cupcakes gets a special mention.

xoxo

Deb

Pumpkins and the Abby's

A couple of weeks ago, I woke up on a Monday morning to the sun streaming through the bedroom window. Now, for a normal person, this would be cause for happiness. Not so for a Debbie. You see, it had been raining for days. And days. And more days. Our backyard wasn't so much a yard anymore. It was a mudpit. A large, wet, leaf-filled, mud pit. And I had foolishly promised Chaos & Mayhem that we could go outside and play as soon as it stopped raining. Damn you, Mother Nature! What's a Mom to do?


Simple, call a better Mother. So I called Aunt Julie. Her kids had a couple of days off of school. She suggested that we pack up the kids (my two and her four) and head over to Milburn Orchards.

Nick spent the trip over explaining to Bree that we were going to go "look at pumpkins with our cousins." Bree, at two has a fairly limited vocabulary, despite Nick's constant efforts to expand her repertoire. She couldn't grasp the word "cousins" so Nick told her their names over and over and over and... you get the picture. Apparently the only name that she could handle was Abby. So, now Bree calls all of her cousins "Abby." I'm not sure but I suspect that Aunt Julie and Uncle Aaron are also "Abby's" in BreeLand. It doesn't mean that she doesn't love Alex, Amanda and Aidan. It just means she can't say their names. She can't say Nick either, just calls him "Brovur," which is Bree-speak for "brother."
Anyway, we got to the orchard, met up with the Abby's, saw a lot of pumpkins, some seriously cute baby goats, a couple of huge pigs, a cow and walked all over the place. Nick and the youngest of the Abby’s, Aidan, tried to see who could say the word “playground” the most. I think they tied at 4,622 "playground" requests each. Julie and I each took tons of pictures of the kids and will be dragging the Dad's with us next time

xoxo

Deb

Mommy's Day Out

On many an occasion, Jason has suggested that I go out for a little while to get some time to myself. Recently however, he was forced to take matters into his own hands and essentially kick me out of the house for a Saturday. His reasons for doing so are as follows:

• He came upon me putting the following phrases into Google "boarding", "preschool" and "Switzerland."


• While I was on the phone, he overheard me gleefully refer to bathing the children as "Mommy water-boarding."


• Coming into the house after work and being greeted by his wife holding a Disney Princess sippy cup in one hand and a bottle of Jack Daniel's in the other. Oh, relax, it was for me. I was too tired to empty the dishwasher and the kid's cups were the only ones that were clean.
  

There were many, many, many, many, many other manifestations indicating that Mommy needed a time out. And to be honest, I was giddy. In the days leading up to my "day off" I was daydreaming about not being directly responsible for my children's survival for a couple of hours.

The glorious day finally arrived. I hurried through breakfast, kissed the kids and then literally pitched them to their father as I raced out to the car. Honestly, the tires squealed in the driveway as I threw the car into reverse and them slammed it into drive.

Now, I love my husband. Jason is the moon, the stars, the sun and everything else in the world beneath them to me. He's an excellent father. Often, he's a much better parent than I can ever hope to be. That being said, I had no problems sacrificing him to our children for the sake of my sanity and hoped that our homeowner's insurance would cover whatever destruction they had wrought while I was wandering around Borders. I figured Jason would play it safe, put in the "Bee Movie" (Nick's latest theatrical obsession) and change a couple of diapers. My theory was that the kids would be bored out of their minds and be so thankful that Mommy had returned that they'd be perfect angels for a few days, so happy to have me back.

Oh no, not my Jason. No copping out with the TV for his little babies.

My darling little cherubs now get all the way to about 11:30am before they start demanding to know when "Daddy is coming home so we can have fun."

I'm going back to Borders.

xoxo

Deb

Happy Birthday Bree!

My baby is two. It's absolutely killing me. I LOVE saying her age in months. Now it just sounds silly. Plus, the terrible two's are beginning. Unfortunately Bree was not adopted and there's only so much you can do about genetics, so she appears to be taking her behavioral cues from her Mommy. Stop here and say a quick prayer for Jason and Nick, if you don't mind.

Anyway, we threw the obligatory Chaos-filled family and friends two-year-old birthday party. Many attended and I think fun was had by all. The pictures from the actual party are pretty bad. Not sure what happened. Jason and I normally do a lot better. Personally I think our photography was fine, it was the subjects that were the problems. That's it. I'll blame the guests for the terrible pictures. You out there know who you are and I expect a full range of thoughtful apologies. Chocolate and flowers always seems to work with me. I recommend electronics for Jason. I can prove that Jason and I ALWAYS take wonderful pictures. Here's what I'm sure is an award-worthy shot of our lovely children the morning after the party.




Aren't they just darling?

xoxo
Deb

Ick.

Nick's sick. Bree's coming down with whatever Nick has.

Therefore they have not done anything cute or brilliant or even mildly entertaining unless you count seeing who can blow the biggest bubbles with their nose cute, brilliant or mildly entertaining.

How I wish I was making that up...


Unfortunately, the pictures do accurately depict how I care for them when they're sick. Now you all understand why Jason works from home as often as he does...

I have to go now. Nick is attempting to use Daisy as a tissue. Seriously.

xoxo

Deb

Picasso, Jr.

As noted in my previous post, Mayhem is clearly an artist in the making. What you may not realize is that Chaos, too, produces stunning artwork. I've attempted to document their creative process, as I'm confident that either the National Gallery in London (my personal fav!) or the Louvre would appreciate the ability to include this in The Tokarski Kids Exhibit (just the working title.)

Here the kids are creating a mural to share with our neighborhood. Note Nick's exuberant two-handed chalk drawling method! Don't worry, it's the side of our own home that they are decorating. To be honest, I'm still confused by Jason's reaction to their artwork. He sighed, there was some eye-rolling and no expressions of delight. Philistine.

Here the kids are attempting to incorporate other elements, like a handtruck, into the mural. Mr. No-fun-guy (AKA Daddy) did not appreciate their creativity and the sighing turned into grumbling.

At some point, the whining, sighing, grumbling, etc., etc., etc., began to interupt the kid's creative process, so we moved their art project indoors. Mr. Killjoy wouldn't allow the kids to run rampant around the house with crayons, markers, stickers and tape so I was forced to stifle their creativity and strap them into their seats. Mr. Stick-in-the-Mud then had me tape the paper to the table so none of their artwork became permanent features.

Nevertheless, the kids persevered with their artwork, despite the dictatorial "stop drawing on each other!" and "Bree! Stop eating the markers!" nature of their father and had a good time.

xoxo

Deb

1st Day of Preschool

Yup. It's begun. My little baby boy has gone off to preschool with absolutely no consideration for how this will affect me or how I will suffer as he casually abandons me for higher education. I curse the day Jason let them cut the umbilical cord.

Actually it wasn't that bad. Nick's first day of preschool went pretty well. We tried for the traditional "first day of school standing by the front door" picture. Instead we had to threaten the little cherub to get him to turn around and face the camera. Below is the best we could do. Apparently that little car just had to drive up and down the door.

Once we convinced him that the car had taken enough spins on the door Nick said "see ya!" to Bree and with Jason and I in tow, set off to school Bree spent a relaxing (for her) morning at home with Poppop. Poor man had to sit through the Disney Channel's morning schedule and change a diaper. Ain't retirement grand!

We got to school and Nick held my hand for the first few minutes and then eventually let go to check out his classroom. At that point, Jason dragged me across the room and held me there in a chokehold while Nick investigated the fish tank, the gerbil cage (ick!) and a whole bunch of different toys, including a, in Nick-speak, "really cool Winnie-Tigger-Pooh house."

He also met his teachers and some of the other kids in his class. Luckily, he was on good behavior, so he hasn't been expelled. Yet.

And he painted the obligatory "first day of school" picture which looks exactly like every other child's artwork but to us, his parents, it's a masterpiece and I'm sure that no other child EVER has shown such talent and skill. Clearly he's a prodigy. Here, see for yourself.

We've had two days of school so far and it appears to be going well. After being reunited with Bree, Nick likes to list for her all of the things that she is "too little" to do at preschool, including but not limited to sitting in the chairs, having a snack, story time, playing with the other kids... honestly, the list is endless of what Bree is "too little" to do. Each "too little" when said by Nick, is accompanied by elaborate hand gestures. You've got to get him to do it next time you see him - it's a hoot! Bree listens intently to the list for about ten minutes and then she'll smack him in the forehead and go about her merry way.

One last thing to note. We take the 273 Bypass to get to Nick's school and pass by a Jake's Hamburger's Stand. They have one of those giant blow-up hamburger balloon thingy's outside. This is important to know, because if you ask Nick what he like's best about school, he'll tell you about the really, really, really big hamburger and his concerns about who has to eat the giant hamburger and hoping that it's not him.

That's my boy. I'm so proud.

xoxo

Deb

Nick-isms

At almost three-and-a-half years of age, Nick's vocabulary is growing by the day. Jason and I wanted to share some of the gems that Nick has produced over the years:

"No!" - Well, this one is fairly self-explanatory. Also, see: "Mine!" (Incidentally, Bree has recently added this one to her repertoire.

"Uh oh. Here comes the scream. " - Also in relation to Bree, again, probably no explanation needed, especially if you happen to know Bree.

"Silly Doofus." - His pre-school teachers are going to love this one. Nick seems to think that it's a term of endearment and unfortunately, I have no one to blame other than myself for him using this phrase. I did try to pin it on Jason.

"I knew it!" - Usually said rather emphatically. Rarely used correctly.

"This is going to be so exciting for me!" -Also said emphatically. Used for just about everything, from going to see his cousins, to going to the grocery store, to getting to brush his teeth.

"You broke my little heart into a million pieces." -Used when a toy is taken away from him after he's snatched it from his sister. The reverse to this is "You made my heart so happy!" and is used when a toy is taken from his sister and returned to him.

"Ta da!" - Again, usually said rather emphatically and generally involves a very extravagant extension of the arms.

I'm sure there's plenty that I'm missing, but those are the ones that stick out in my mind. Feel free to share if you've heard some from him that I've forgotten or overlooked.

xoxo

Deb

Family Fun

Last weekend was one of the few instances of Jason, the kids and I not escaping to the beach. Since we were home for the weekend, we invited the rest of the Tokarski family over for a barbeque. Unfortunately, we ran out of gas while cooking the burgers on the grill and the bugs were out in force, so we gave up on the great outdoors and spent the evening inside, gathered around the Wii. I put in our latest game, Wii Sports Resort, and the kids (including Uncle Aaron) took over the controls and a good time was had by all.


One word of warning, if Alex offers to let you catch a ride in a plane he's piloting, just say "No." Trust me.

xoxo
Deb

Rainy August Day

As the title suggests, it's raining. The plan was to pile into the Jeep and run some errends. The Jeep refusing to work kind of ended those plans. No worries, though, Poppop Tokarski will be over after lunch to work on the Jeep.

Since we have to stay home and going outside isn't an option, I've given the kids a pack of construction paper, a package of brand new markers and a Backyardigans marathon. As the kids have markers, they're strapped into their chairs, unable to escape and decorate the walls. Freelance work is all caught up and the bathrooms desperately need to be cleaned... oh please. Like anyone who knows me would think that I'd clean the bathrooms if I could find ANYTHING else to do...



The kids have recently discovered the joys of corn on the cob. Problem is that we didn't know they'd like corn on the cob, since they refuse to eat anything that might appear to be healthy and/or a vegetable. Because we didn't know this, I only gave Jason two ears of corn to cook for dinner one night. Apparently the corn was quite tasty. Jason and I wouldn't know...

Our niece Amanda recently celebrated her 8th birthday. Nick and Bree gleefully spent the evening with all of their cousins, and their cousin's toys.


It's been a fairly warm August, so Chaos and Mayhem have established a "hot summer day" routine: Get up, watch "Curious George", eat breakfast and then demand to go outside and "play."
Darn. Out of new pictures.

Sigh. Guess I'm cleaning that bathroom after all.

xoxo

Deb

Toyboxes

Anyone who has visited our home since the birth of my darling children knows that we refer to our decorating style as "what it looks like when Toys R Us throws up." With that in mind I've embarked on yet another attempt to tame the toys. When you're done laughing please continue to read. I'll wait.


Done?

At some point in the past, maybe for Christmas or a birthday, my wonderful, thoughtful, considerate parents purchased toyboxes for their grandchildren. I promptly shoved them into a corner of Nick's room and forgot about them until I was buried under a pile of Little People and Cars cars again. After I dug myself out, I then dug the toyboxes out of Nick's room and brought them into the living room. I then sorted carefully through the kids toys and separated them putting Bree's toys in one toybox and Nick's toys in the second toybox. Took me about and hour and a half. I then called to them and proudly explained to the kids that they each had a spot for their own toys.

My precious little cherubs examined my handiwork for a moment and then in 19 seconds flat had each emptied "their" toybox and placed what they thought belonged in each toybox.

Yeah, that's Nick in the top picture, if you look closely you can see his fingers. I guess I should be grateful that they haven't put either of the dogs into either toybox. Yet.

xoxo

Deb

We're home!

Vacation this year was a trip to Jason's parent's condo in Ocean City, MD, instead of our usual trek to Virginia Beach. SOMEONE wasn't willing to spend 5+ hours one way in a car with their children and SOMEONE wasn't willing to share a one-bedroom hotel room with a three-year-old and a twenty-month-old. Pssst... SOMEONE = me. I'm no fun with no sense of adventure. I admit it.

Anyway, first Nick helped with the packing. Before you called Child Protective Services, you should know that he thinks it's "fun" to crawl into an empty clothes hamper. Who am I to deny his fun? He's got airholes. He's fine.
Once we arrived in Ocean City, the kids quickly helped us by sitting on Nana. Now that I think about it, that's how they spent a lot of the week there. Which freed Jason, PopPop and I to do what we wanted. Bonus! I love Grandparents.


Most days involved breakfast and then heading to the beach until the kids had packed sand (to the point of being unable to walk) into every crevice they had and were ready for a nap. Stop it. They were perfectly safe. Bree only rolled off the balcony once. And she landed on the Jeep, so it's not like she fell that far.


Both kids loved taking baths in the huge garden tub. Jason wouldn't let me publish any of those pics, so here's Bree in her favorite towel. Okay, my favorite towel. The bunny ears always give me a giggle.
The week quickly passed in a blur of beach, boardwalk, good food, great company and the seemingly endless search for new sandles for Jason. Eventually we sadly packed up to return. Nick was as helpful unpacking as he had been packing.

xoxo
Deb

Water, water everywhere.

We got the kids what I consider to be one of the old-fashioned oscillating sprinklers. Nick has become a big fan of playing in and with it very quickly. Bree's not so thrilled. She seems to get annoyed with the sprinkler because she keeps getting squirt in the face by it. Which could be why Nick is so enamored of the sprinkler. We also got them both water guns. Not one of my more brilliant ideas of late. Jason and I are currently trying to persuade Nick to shoot the other parent with the water gun. The last promises made to Nick were that I would let him eat ice cream for dinner indefinitely if he shot Jason and Jason is willing to buy him a car if Nick would shoot me

xoxo

Deb

It's Thursday.

Nothing new or earthshattering to report, just wanted to share a funny picture of Bree. My thought is that her teen years are going to be "lovely" so I might as well torture her now because she'll be returning the favor in about ten years anyway.

xoxo

Deb

Happy Birthday, Uncle Aaron! Part 5

And all good things must come to an end... with Bree on the phone and Aidan playing on the Wii.

It was wonderful to see everyone, Campbell's and Tokarski's alike.

Happy Birthday, Aaron!

xoxo

Deb

Happy Birthday, Uncle Aaron! Part 4

Not wanting to be left out and tired of being the baby of the family, Bree tried out the slide. It didn't go quite as she had anticipated.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Aaron! Part 3

As always, Julie treated all to an excellent meal and then spent the rest of the time as she usually does at family gatherings; taking pictures and keeping Sadie under control.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Aaron! Part 2

Despite the threat of rainy weather (which was never realized), all the attendees scarfed down dinner and headed out to the backyard. Nick quickly located the jungle gym and also found a water gun. Yeah.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Aaron! Part 1

Hello all!

I'm new to all this and am having trouble getting the pictures and text to appear as I want, so this will be "Uncle Aaron's Birthday: A Five-Part Series." :)

Despite knowing the ...chaos... that comes with us, Aaron and Julie graciously invited us for dinner (with cake and ice cream!!) to celebrate Aaron's latest birthday. Here we see Jason and Aaron sharing some quality time on the swings. Doesn't Jason look thrilled to be in front of the camera for a change?

My turn...

As many of you know, beginning with the birth of Mayhem (Nick) Jason has attempted to faithfully record the moments of his life in our family blog at www.15westbellamy.com/family. And Jason did an excellent job at it. Once we added Chaos (Bree) to our family however, it became more and more difficult for St. Jason to find the time to do anything more than change diapers. Since I lead a life of leisure with an infinite amount of time to change diapers, I'm going to be taking over the task for the time being.

That being said...

The kids are healthy. So are their parents. Nick's sleeping in a big boy bed, which means a mattress thrown on the floor. Hey, we put clean sheets on it! Bree has apparently decided that she is either a dinosaur or a bear. The child walks around growling at everything. We're so proud. Last week we tricked our dear friend Janette "Ma'am" Johnson into accompanying us to the Philadelphia Zoo. Surprisingly, the kids were not grabbed by zoo staff and interred in the primate house.

More soon...

xoxo

Deb