The birthday trip

Nicholas' 3rd birthday was March 12, 2011. Our birthday tradition is to take him someplace and have fun for the day. We don't get him presents, except a souvenir from the place we went. This year's destination: SF Zoo. We left Abby with my mom for an Abby and Grandma day, then we went off.

I remember this place being bigger than it is. First off, he was disappointed there were no elephants. But they have this African savanna area where the giraffes and deer and things get pretty close to you. He thought that was cool. The gorillas were awesome too. They were playing. And the biggest, oldest gorilla was sitting on a rock, staring at the visitors.

The lions and tigers were all asleep. Asleep in the sun. Nicholas called them "lazy cats." I wouldn't have really called them that, but they were sleeping.

The zoo got a new hippo in January, and this thing loved to show off. He would swim from one end of the pool to the other, bring his face out of the water - all the way out - and open his mouth nice and wide so you could see everything in it. Needless to say, there was a photographer there who got some great pictures. That person was not me.

We saw the grizzly bears being fed. They released live fish into the pond and the bears were released 10 minutes later. Then the bears ran through their enclosure to the pond and started hunting for the fish. It was pretty cool.

We ate lunch there. And got cotton candy. Then we hit the playground and kid's zoo.
Jon also played on the playground. This was Nicholas' second day of potty training. He reached the top of this structure and yelled, "I have to go potty." So Jon then climbed up to get him.

We fed the goats at the zoo. They also had brushes you could use to brush the animals (which we did), and rakes and buckets the kids could use to clean up the farm (which we did not do). Then it was time to go to the store and pick his presents. He got a penguin that is almost as big as him - which he named penguin - and a little elephant that makes noise when you press it. Why, oh why, do I get him toys that make noise? That elephant sound is so obnoxious.

We finished the day going to grandma's for a small family party. He got this cupcake that he loved. There was also a gazillion balloon - which we took home with us and are still serving as fun - and a HUGE Lightening McQueen balloon that is still inflated and huge. It sleeps with him every night.

So it was a good birthday. We had fun, and so did he.

Potty trained!

Friday was a big day for us. We went to Target to get Abby some new pants (someone needed 12 month clothes and she's only 4 months old). Nicholas saw Lightening McQueen underwear in the place where they keep all the baby clothes and toddler underwear. He went nuts and asked for it. I agreed, but said he had to use the potty if he wanted the underwear. He agreed.

We got the underwear, and he made me put it on him in the Target bathroom. We promptly went out on the rest of our errands, and I was cringing. But there were no accidents on Friday. He told me when he had to use the potty, and we went.

Saturday was hazardous, but we were at the SF Zoo, so that was understandable. But there have been no accidents since.

No accidents! I promised him a toy if there were no accidents Sunday through today, so now we get to go and get a new toy.

Everyone said that when he was ready he would do it, and that it could be done in a weekend. I didn't believe "everybody" but I should have. Nicholas did it in a weekend. We only had 3 accidents on Saturday, and we are done. He is even dry throughout the night.

So, now he's potty trained. He told me he would when he was three, and since that was Saturday, I guess he just decided. If I had known Lightening McQueen underwear would make the difference, I would have gotten it for him long before then.

Coming later today - Nicholas' birthday pictures!

My addiction to iPod apps

I have to confess - I am addicted to iPod apps.

When I first got my iPod, it was just the free apps I was addicted to, but now I have found some paid apps I really love.

I use Boggle to keep myself occupied when I am rocking Abby to sleep. I sing to her, but then she needs quiet, so I play Boggle.

I use the LDS Scripture apps to read during church and follow along with lessons.

I use the Elmo, Toy Story, and various other apps to keep Nicholas occupied. He currently is in love with the Dr. Seuss books you can get at the app store.

I like just looking at the apps. If you search LDS in the apps, you get so many options. There are things for ward leaders, kids, primary kids, musicians and everything.

If you search the books, you get tons of options too.

Apps are just really cool. I have the news apps (Fox, Drudge, and assorted news programs), The Economist (since I subscribe, the app is free). I have gmail and facebook. I have a calendar that syncs to my phone. I have the Nook app - so in case I don't have my Nook with me I can read on the go.

I just love apps. My bank account doesn't love apps. But I do.

t.

Does anyone have favorite apps? I think Nicholas' would be the Elmo monster maker app. Mine is Settlers of Catan and Boggle. I just love apps.

Our developing garden

One of the things about buying a home in a development is that they all look related. In some cases, exactly the same. There is a home 2 streets over that is exactly the same as ours. Luckily there are no homes on the same street that are exactly the same. There are some that are the same color, and some that are the same look, but none that are the same color.

So I have started to personalize our home. As you can see, I added a little log trim to the front to separate the grass and planting. We added lights and star lights (the stars were picked out by Nicholas). The star lights charge during the day and change colors at night. They are his favorite thing to look at during nighttime. He calls them his "everyday Christmas lights." There's also a flag with a ladybug. I wanted one of the big flags, but I couldn't see myself changing it every season. So we have a little flag instead that says "Welcome."

You cannot see them yet, but the picture below is of my hydrangea bushes. I planted them towards the back (since they are full shade bulbs). They are in between the regulation green bushes.

Hopefully they will grow. It will lessen the look of the whole development at our house. If they grow I am going to have some gorgeous blue flowers behind green bushes against a brown half-wall. I thought it might look nice.

I also had Jon pull out some of the dead plants and we replaced them.

Slowly, but surely, our front garden is developing into something that doesn't look like everyone else's. It is getting a personality all its own.

Now if only the backyard's personality said something other than "messy area where toddlers play."

Meet Spot

We went to IKEA. I thought I was watching Nicholas, but when we arrived at the checkout counter I realized my very stealthy son had done something - he had put a dog and a dog bed (stuffed of course) into the bag. I asked him what it was. He told me that he was "a good boy for sharing his stroller" and he wanted a treat. So I caved.

He thinks the one-child stroller is his because he has used it all the time. When I put Abby into it, and make him walk, there is a revolt in the Wunderlich household. But if I take the 2-child stroller he doesn't want to ride (normally). So when travelling to a store where the 2-child stroller won't work - like IKEA - I try the one-child stroller and a bribe for Nicholas. It's just this time he chose his bribe. He really was a good kid about it, especially because it was raining at IKEA.

So meet Spot. The newest member of the Wunderlich household. Spot sleeps in his bed, in Nicholas' room. Or in Nicholas' fort. It turns out that since Spot is Nicholas' baby - his words not mine - Spot also gets to hang out in the play pen when Abby's not there or in Abby's swing.

Who knew stuffed animals were such a chore!

Solid foods!

We are eating solid foods now - well Abby is. The rest of the family was already eating solid food.

She started needing to be fed 4-5 oz of formula every 1-1.5 hours, so I decided to introduce rice cereal. She was okay with it at first. However, once I mixed a teaspoon of bananas in, she gobbled the stuff up. I'm not that shocked. Both my kids love bananas. Plus, when Abby is eating "baby bananas" (Nicholas named them), then Nicholas will eat bananas too.

I'm wondering if that is going to work for vegetables too?

Rainy day conversations.

Nicholas is a bargainer. He likes to try and bargain his way into things. Or talk his way into things.

So today it is storming in Sacramento. Lots of rain, hail, wind, and freezing temperatures. Needless to say, I think it is a perfect day to stay inside. He thinks it is a perfect day to go outside.

"Mommy, I want to go outside," he says. "No, it is yucky outside," I reply.

He thinks hard and says, "But mommy, the raindrops are lonely. I need to keep them company." I say, "No, they have all the other raindrops and grass and trees and leaves to keep them company."

He doesn't even miss a beat before he says, "I need to blow bubbles outside so they can fly with the wind." I repeat an earlier reply, "No, it is a yucky day outside."

Needless to say, this whole conversation was while he's wearing shorts and a t-shirt because he didn't want to wear any of his clean pants this morning. He wanted his dirty jeans, which were in the washer.

Still not one to quit he says, "But it is not yucky outside. It is only raining a little bit." He says this as the rain is puddling and pooling in our yard and is being blown sideways because of the wind.

A little while later he says, "But mommy, I have to go outside." So I finally give him a choice (see the Love and Logic philosophy working here), "You can go outside in your rain jackets and rain boots or stay inside and do puzzles with mommy." I thought the puzzles would be a big hit - normally I cannot get him to stop playing puzzles with me. But quick as can be he gets his rain jacket and boots on - I have never seen him get dressed so fast - and runs outside. It takes all of a minute before it starts hailing again and he comes running inside saying "I'm all done. The ice cubes falling on my head were cold."

I should've just let him out earlier and he would've been done.