This afternoon I decided to take the kids out the driveway and onto the sidewalk to walk up and down our street. They did a great job understanding the concept of staying on the sidewalk and not getting into the street. Our neighbor, Shane, came down to help when he saw us. It was nice to have a second set of hands for helping cross the street.
Just barely out the driveway. Walt's telling me to stop taking photos
Look at all this stuff!
Team Berube walking down the sidewalk from our house
Checking out the kitten that belongs to our neighbor across the street
Shane helps round up the troops before we head across the street to his house
After being kept home for 10 days due to illness, the kids went back to the creche today. I made arrangements for them to start staying an hour longer every visit. This way they are fed lunch at the creche. I'm hoping eating with other kids may encourage them to expand their appetites, especially Gordon.
Today I did a huge shopping trip and I knew it was huge. However, when the bill came to €315 ($415), I knew something wasn't right. It turns out she accidentally charged me for 22 bottles of wine instead of two. I couldn't help but wonder if subconsciously she was telling me that I looked like I needed 22 bottles of wine.
It is very chilly, but very beautiful outside. The kids ran around the yard at the creche and then I let them run around outside for 25ish minutes when we got home. I loved not having to worry about rushing them in the house for lunch!
Gordon & Walt headed up the stairs
Adele telling me she hears a dog, but for some reason, instead of dog she starts calling it 'doctor'
Adele enjoying the 'yellow flowers' as she calls the daffodils
Gordon disappeared into the house for a minute (Adele and Walt kept asking "where's Gordon?") and he came back out with one of the balloons.
Walt's favorite game today was practicing going up and down the stairs.
Outdoor fun!!
What's better than a box? A box with a handle, of course!!
Gordon has woken up and coughed for an hour straight the last two nights, sometimes more than once a night. So today I went and filled his 'just-in-case' prescription of antibiotics. Here's hoping he gets some relief soon.
He seems fine all day, though they are all a little tired. We woke up late and played for a little bit this morning, then I took the boys to get haircuts.
I also got a lot of photos of the kids doing things together, which is always fun for them and for me.
Star Wars education at its finest
They were doing something or other with their stickers
They were "cleaning" with the children's cleaning kit
At HairWorx, waiting for our turn. Spin!!
If Gordon was getting in the chair, so was everybody.
Big boy, Gordon, getting his hair cut. I don't have any Walt photos because I have to help hold/soothe him the whole time.
The boys checking out the Argos catalog before we put on coats. Love the hair cuts.
When we got home, Adele asked to wear hats and they came up with this game.
The kids have been sick off and on since September (as I've previously mentioned) but the last round of head colds seemed to really take it out of them. Last Friday they came down with a stomach virus that wiped them out. And they all developed eye infections. I took them to the doctor on Monday morning and she diagnosed Walter with a chest infection & eye infection, Adele with a throat infection & eye infection, and Gordon with an eye infection. Adele and Walt took a long time to shake off the stomach bug, too.
I've never seen my kids so lethargic. They wouldn't eat and I could barely get Adele to drink. They slept all day long and then had interrupted sleep at night because of pain/coughing, etc.
But finally, this morning, we woke up to 3 kids with appetites and chatty attitudes. I was so happy! I hope this means they are finally on the mend.
I can really tell they are feeling better because they refused to take a nap today. :)
Enjoying some lap time with Dad. Can you tell how low energy the kids are?
Adele giving poor brother, Walt, some love
Adele and Walt taking a moment to snuggle.
These two were so poor-poor
Gordon was never quite as sick, but he was definitely unwell.
Yesterday was beautiful, but the kids weren't well enough to appreciate it. They only lasted 20 minutes before asking to go back into the house.
Such a beautiful sight! Adele and Walt eating eggs, cereal, and yogurt.
For the first time ever, I let the kids walk around SuperValu with me. Walt and Adele wanted right back in the cart, but Gordon lasted a bit before he asked to get back in. Unfortunately, the cart was too full, so I had to carry him off and on. But he did really well.
Home from the grocery store we took a few minutes to enjoy the outdoors. And today we were actually able to enjoy it!
I realized this morning that I'd barely heard Adele talk for the last 4-5 days and saw very little of her smile. This was a fun moment. Gordon was hiding in his sweater and waiting for me to say "Where's Gordon?" But eventually, Adele decided she'd play along. The video doesn't capture it well, but she was asking "Where's Gordon?" Then when he'd pop out, she'd say "There he is."
The weather here has been a bit chilly (see prior post with snow) and often, even when the temperatures get above the low 40's, it is rainy and/or windy. So the kids have been wearing winter coats a lot lately and outdoor play is mostly limited to the run around we get in on our way in and out of the car.
Until today!
I was able to throw hoodies on the kids (they had sweaters and thermal shirts on underneath) and take them outside to play after nap time. We had a blast! The fresh air did wonders for all of us and so did the sunshine.
Checking out the bench and enjoying the sunshine
Our favorite outdoor game -- Down, Down, Down
Followed by Up, Up, Oooh look rocks!, Up
Girls can be Jedi too. LOL. She's starting small with the force and learning to manipulate rocks
One of the neighbor boys came over to play (bringing a friend) and the kids (especially Gordon) were in seventh heaven. Gordon could barely contain his excitement and Walter was following them around everywhere.
Bath time clean-up after outside play!
And here's a snippet of the kids enjoying the outdoors
Nellie's mom is in town to help Nellie with her new baby (Aidan -- adorable & only a couple weeks old). She stopped by to visit Team Berube and the kids just ate her up!
We woke to a snowy day. So pretty! I wish I could've let the kids run around in it, but it was slush by the time the sun came up.
They love their kitty and are always saying "Kitty, be nice."
The kids loved toddler play group today. Especially the new drawing table.
The moderator asked me if Gordon loved books since he spent over 10 minutes sitting with the box of books, pulling each one out, and flipping through every page. I'm not sure 'love' even covers how Gordon feels about books. He goes straight for the book cabinet in the mornings and pulls out his favorites to read over and over.
Silly brothers
The boys especially love this dance from a Sesame Street episode and even try to mimic all the moves.
