The Park And Soccer

he still wanted to be on the baby swing

When I told Sean that we could go to the park today, he told me that he was going to share and not push anyone. Poor kid, we're all 3 working so hard to help him get out of the terrible 3's. He did great! He asked a little girl if she wanted to play with his bulldozer and kept his hands to himself. Yeah, Sean.

Even though, I know he was tired, he didn't take a nap and then we had to go to soccer. This was the second time that one of the coaches told us that he was doing really well. It was a very active day and he finally fell asleep at 8:30.

Independence Day

"I do it by MYSELF" is a phrase that I hear all of the time now. I love Sean's independence, yet miss my baby. Kenny is more patient than me with certain things and has taught Sean how to dress himself and put on his shoes. I'm usually rushing us out of the house and am always doing things quickly, so I clearly wasn't the one to teach him this. He is doing great and the smile on his face when he gets dressed is priceless.

A Day Indoors

Sadly, I was not much fun for Sean today. For some reason, I had trouble sleeping last night and was exhausted when he was ready to get up this am. We played inside the house and watched Wall-E, again (his request). Kenny had been working double shifts and needed sleep tonight, so I kept Sean up from his nap in hopes that he would go to bed early for Daddy.
Sean did show me his latest dance moves. It is so cute, but I'm keeping the video just for us, so that he won't be mad at me when he reads this blog when he's older! I also taught him to do some somersaults and he caught on quickly and did great!
After massive amounts of coffee, I got ready for my much anticipated AZD night (dinner with my sorority sisters). Thank you Kenny for babysitting and giving me a much needed girls night.

What Are We Doing?

I've said before that Sean starts out our days by asking me what we are going to do. He knows that we stay on the go. He loves to be out of the house, even if it's just to go to the store.

We're taking him to his 1st Saints game next week and he needed a Saints shirt, so we went to the Saints/LSU store. We've been so many times now that he knows what the building looks like. He told me that he would be a good boy and hold my hand (he didn't want the stroller). I haven't had good luck in this department before. I usually end up chasing him through the store or pulling him off of the floor.

He was much better today. While I looked through some racks, he got on the floor, but was looking at some hats and check out wasn't too bad. He didn't want to hold hands, but he didn't wind up on the floor, either. When we left, he told me he was a good boy! Yes, Sean you are a good boy.

Here's a picture of Christopher Columbus aka Sean (his teacher called him that last year b/c he liked to explore everything).

Mommy Duck And Her Baby Duck

where are my sunglasses?
getting their food "all by myself"

He's got to have on his "shades"

Sean and I were both chomping at the bit to get out of the house when I saw that there were a few slices of bread left and a new bag of bread next to it. I grabbed the small bag and we headed to a park where I knew there would be ducks. Sean had the best time feeding the ducks their "lunch". He also almost did a header into the mucky water in an attempt to pet the ducks. My son has no fear and loves to pet all animals from alligators to ducks. He is still determined to catch a bird in flight and pet him!

A Long Day

Today was a long day for me because Sean was congested during the night which made him snore and kept me awake. Then, Kenny had been at the office until 6am working on a big case and came home shaved and showered and left again! I don't know how he does it. I heard him come home but didn't know the time. Then, Sean woke up at 6:30 after going to bed at 10! I had circles under my eyes.

Sean had also been punished right before bedtime and time outs don't work, so he gets privileges taken away. We had a park playdate planned, but since I was running on fumes, he was sneezing and punished, we stayed home:(. We went to Nanny's house for a little bit, but he was a bit "rough" with his girl cousins, so after a small meltdown, we left. He finally napped and so did I.

I did manage to get him to recognize his numbers from 1-10 with his flashcards and Kenny got him to spell his name, but we can't get him to write, yet. I've learned that with Sean, he'll do it on his own schedule. Sean, you wore me out, sweetie, but I couldn't imagine a day without you!

Little Pele

Sean got a haircut today since school starts next in a couple of weeks. I had been putting it off, b/c I like his hair long, but I have to admit that he looks so cute. He kept saying that he didn't want to go, but he did great (no tears) and got to pick out a truck at Target.

This evening, Sean started SoccerTots and had a great time. He really is quite good.

Happy 4th Birthday, Max and Colin

with his blaster
Max with his gun

Colin showing off his new gun

ready for action

just too cute

This afternoon, Sean and I went to a swimming birthday party. Nicole and Kirk are the parents and Kirk used to work with Kenny and Nicole and I were trying to become mommies at the same time. The twins were born in Aug., and Sean in Nov.

Nicole did a great job with the party. She handed out water blasters to all of the kids and that was the entertainment. All of the boys loved it! They also had a Batman pinata and Sean was so funny because he picked up the candy one piece at a time to put in his goodie bag as opposed to diving in with the other kids and picking up all of them at once. Sean was so good and seemed to be less afraid of the water. We had a great time!

Rain And More Rain

Sean and I had to brave the rain, so that I could go to a doctor's appt. in uptown New Orleans this am. Sean has become a backseat driver just like me! I can hear him say things that he has heard me tell Kenny. He asked if both of my hands were on the steering wheel and he even told me to slow down.
On the way back across the bridge, he saw lightening and asked me how it gets hot and why it would burn our skin. Maybe he'll be a meteorologist?

Bounce, Roll, Climb, Slide!

that's a big slide
being silly

here he comes, again


and yes, a game with a gun

I took Sean to a new bounce place in north Covington called the Kang Arena. It was pretty much little boy Heaven. There was a Spider Man bounce house, one with a basketball hoop, one with a large climbing wall and slide. There were also soccer balls and goals and a few video games. Needless to say, Sean had a blast!

I Want My Mommy

Tonight, Kenny and I went with Aunt Debbie and Uncle Kevin to see Def Leppard in concert. Sean was staying with Maw Maw and Dukie and then I was going to spend the night there, too, while Kenny went back home since he had work in the am. The concert was great and before I left, Sean asked, "mommy, are you gonna dance?". I laughed and said yes. He knows that I always dance to Imagination Movers and to the music on Phineas and Ferb. He loves my dancing, but not my singing.

I was a bit worried about his bedtime and how he would react. In the morning, he told me that he cried because he wanted his mommy (insert heartbreak) and then that was confirmed when I talked to Maw Maw and she said that he did cry for a little bit, and then fell asleep. I'm not really understanding why my very independent boy is wanting his mommy so much and wanting us to be at home. Maybe a phase?

Showdown At the Corral

shooting water at our huge ant pile
with his water gun

Let me start by saying that I hate guns. I am married to a part time cop, my brother-in-law is an ATF agent, my father-in-law was a former cop and is now in the security business, my other brother-in-law was also a former part time cop. Sean has played with his older cousin's toy guns much to my chagrin. I managed to keep a toy gun out of his hands until he was 3, but now he sees one and he wants to play with one and his daddy and uncles want to give him some, as well.

Sean knows the rules. He is not to point it at anyone or anything. He can only "shoot" targets or the wall. I don't know why some boys, if not all, like to play with these. Since he has a water gun, we went outside today to play cowboys. Sadly, Sean doesn't really now what a cowboy is, because there are no cartoons or books that I've found with a cowboy in it. Anyway, that's how I feel about guns and here are some pics that will make Kenny and Sean's uncles smile.

Mommy Rode the Tractor

Since Kenny's shoulder has been hurting him and since I can't stand the lawn to not be cut, I decided to get out the "tractor" and cut the lawn. Sean is afraid of the sound of the mower, so he got on his bike, but stayed by the front door. Our sweet retired neighbors, Roger and Anna (Roger is our Mr. Wilson to Sean's Dennis the Menace) came over and offered to let Sean ride his bike in their driveway while I cut the front yard. Sean seemed to have fun and was guzzling a Capri Sun when I came over. Then, he told me his now very common, "I want to go home". So, we thanked our neighbors and moved onto the backyard. Sean sat in the lawn chair the ENTIRE time that I mowed the backyard. Sean sitting still for any length of time is highly unusual. This proves to me that he is not hyper and can sit still IF and IF is the big word here, he wants to.

Sunday...Not Much To Say...

Our Sundays are pretty much the same, so I probably will skip over this day in my blogging unless we have an activity or Sean says something really cute or profound :).

He Wants To Go Home

We spent Friday night at Maw Maw and Dukie's house, so that I could work on their flower bed early Sat. am. They were going to watch Sean while I pulled up all of the monkey grass in the yard. I was covered in dirt and exhausted. When Sean came outside, he said, "mommy, what happened?". I probably looked scary. After a shower, Sean informed me that he wanted to go home. He also told me this last night. Even though, I slept in the bed with him at their house, he wanted to be at our house with me. In previous blogs, I've mentioned that Sean has cried for me at bedtime or naptime at Maw Maw's . More to come...

Playdate at Luke's

This morning we had a playdate with the MOMS club. It was with Luke, Olivia and Mason. Sean had fun playing with different tractors. There were some times when he didn't want to share, but all in all he had a good time. We found out that Mason will be going to a different MDO this year which made me sad, as Kimberly is a good friend and we may not be seeing each other as much and Sean really likes Mason.

Sean also surprised me by eating a lemon muffin! It is the first time my child has ever eaten a bread product!! I'm going out to buy a lot of them.

We spent the night at Maw Maw and Dukie's, as I had to get up early and work in Maw Maw's flower bed. I think Sean's days of sleepover might be numbered because he has cried for me the last 2 times and even though I was sleeping with him, he kept saying that he wanted us to go home.

He Makes Me Laugh

Sean and I ran errands for most of the day (not much fun for either one of us), but after his nap, we went to Nanny's house. Sean got to ride in Abby's hot pink Barbie jeep! He was loving it and he picked up the driving pretty quickly. He steered really well. Now, he just needs to practice reverse and he's ready for the sidewalks!

Every night, I ask him if he's had fun during the day and he said yes. Then, without missing a beat he said, "what did I do today"! I had a good laugh and gave him lots of hugs.

Chef Sean

practicing measuring the flour
getting his turn to add the yeast

it's fun to bang your hands on the table

We headed to Young Chef's Academy with the MOMS club this morning. I told Sean that he would be making cookies and pizza. Sean has made cookies with me at home and enjoys using the cookie cutter. However, today, he got to mix and add ingredients. The Chefs would call each child up for their turn to add ingredients to the flour. Sean loved it. However, he wanted every turn to be his turn. He sat on the stool for a little bit and then slowly lost interest. He would then want me to hold him. Sean isn't usually this clingy, so that was a little surprising.

He did love kneading the dough for the pizza and playing with the flour.

Sean is not a pizza eater, so I didn't think he would mind the ingredients, but he insisted "no sauce" on the pizza. Instead, the Chef put on olive oil and we put lots of cheese on it. I wound up eating the pizza and Sean ate the cookies. He really loved slicing the pizza. He was very interactive with the Chef and asked her a lot of questions. Afterwards, we brought Kenny some cookies at his office.

Playdate At The Water Spout Park

water in the eyes...he's done
look how far back from the water spout he is

Xander and Sean

All dry and on the top of the stairs

Today we went to the water park with some friends from our newest mommy group. Sean was the only child completely dry for quite awhile. He liked going up and down the stairs. With some coaxing, he finally went into the water. However, once he got water in his eyes, he was finished.

Bathtime Fun

Sean age 3 1/2
I realized that I only have 2 pics of Sean in the tub, so I remedied that by snapping a "soap Mohawk" picture tonight. Sean thought it was fun. I wish I had my scanner so that I could compare the ages of the other tub photos. I'll put them in his photo albums.

The Old Grandma

my great grandparents former home in LB, MS
poor baby asleep

one of the planes we saw

Today we went to Mississippi again to visit my grandma, who Sean now calls "the old grandma"-lol! We followed Uncle Joey and Nanny (Uncle Joey's nephew was playing baseball in Gulfport) and then met my aunt and uncle at the hospital. Sean wanted to push every button in the room. He is super curious. Grandma looked much better, but told me that she has pneumonia which has me very concerned, but I didn't hear any coughing and she was sitting up. She still won't eat (only ice cream) which is another concern. Sean got scared when the nurse came in because he thought he was getting a shot. After we assured him that he wasn't going to be getting seen by a doctor, my uncle took him to the gift shop, where they bought him another toy! He got several toys from my aunt on Tuesday's visit.

After the hospital, Sean and I headed for the outlet mall and Nanny left to join Uncle Joey and my nieces. In the parking lot, we saw several Air Force planes flying overhead and I grabbed my camera to snap some pics. On the way home, I felt the sudden urge to take the Long Beach exit. My grandparents used to live in LB, as did my great grandparents. They all moved to LA from MS back in the 60's. I started to cry as I drove down the hwy. Sean was fast asleep, so I was alone with my thoughts. I found my great grandparents house (my grandparents also lived there for awhile) and I looked for the house that I remember visiting a lot when I was young (my grandparents house), but I had turned the wrong way. I almost went back, but could see very dark skies, so I headed back to the interstate into the clear skies. This has all been a very reflective time for me. I'm also blessed to have my grandma get to see Sean in person and not just from his photos.

Maw Maw Needed Her "Happy Pills"

My mom called around 5pm saying that she was at my sister's house and wanted to know if she could take Sean back to her house for the night. I had just finished cutting the grass and my allergies were already acting up, so I told her yes. Sean loves being at Maw Maw and Dukie's house, so I knew he would have a good time. Kenny was also working and then spending the night at their house, too, because he had to wake up early for the fishing rodeo, soooo....mommy got the house all to herself. It was very nice to have some alone time, but I did miss my guys.
In the morning, Maw Maw called to say that Sean had been running and fell on top of his toy car. She said that she thought there was a small knot on his head and that he cried for a good while. Maw Maw gets very upset with bumps and scrapes. I told her to give Sean some ice (he loves that) and that the crying should stop. She called back to say that he was fine and running around, again. Then, she called after his nap to tell me that he wanted his mommy before he fell asleep and that she almost lost him at McDonalds! Sean tends not to stand next to the person with him (me, daddy, Maw Maw, etc.). I've told everyone that he needs to hold their hands or he has to be held. If he doesn't then, he can't go to McD's or a store, etc. Well, she turned her back for an instant and he was near the door! I could tell that Maw Maw's nerves were frazzled and that it was time for Sean to be with his mommy. I came over and picked him up and he stayed by me the whole time that I visited with Maw Maw.
That night, Sean held me extra tight, and I held him and it felt so good!

Playdate with Olivia

I have recently joined a playgroup called the MOMS Club of Covington. It is a group that not only does playdates, but is geared to charity work and fun for the mommies, as well. They have playdates according to age groups which I love. Sean is one for 3 and almost 4 yr olds. We won't be in playgroups for too much longer, as Sean's school days and length of time at school will increase in the next 2 years.

All of the people had other plans for this playdate and I felt so badly because having run a playgroup, I know how horrible it is when you plan something and no one shows up. So, Sean and I headed over to Abita Springs for the playdate. Sean, surprisingly, gets along better with girls than with boys his own age. He played very nicely with Olivia. There was no pushing or shoving and he even asked Olivia if she would share with him. I was so proud of him. I wonder if I could get him in a class with all girls??? Just joking!

Uncle Danny's House

Sean's uncle Danny passed away this past January. He lived in his grandmother's house, the same house where Kenny and I lived when we first got married. Kenny's dad is getting ready to rent the house and the boys (3 remaining brothers) have been going through Danny's belongings and collecting mementos.

Danny was a huge movie lover as am I. I was asked to come over and pick out some dvds that I wanted. Danny and I seemed to have the same taste in movies! Sean had fun running through house and only asked me once where Uncle Danny was. I told him in Heaven with the angels and he said, "okay".

Later, we went to eat with Maw Maw and Dukie and then headed home. It was a hard trip and when we got home, I held Sean a bit tighter. We love you, Danny!!

Why, Why, Why?

Sean is full of questions....

"Why does a car need gas?"

"Why are all of the cars stopped?"

"What is the alarm for?"

"How do the hoses get off of the firetruck?"

"Why is the moon hiding behind clouds?"

"Who are angels?"....getting harder now

"How does the water come out of the faucet and where does it go?"

This was all asked in one day......I'm going to start calling him "Curious George". I love the curiosity, but the constant questions have my head spinning-lol!

"Who Is Mississippi?"

This morning, Sean asked me who was Mississippi? I tried to explain that it was a place that we were going to, like when we went to Texas. I'm not sure if he understood. He was very excited that Nanny was riding with us to visit my grandma. He even got the wording right. He said that he has a Maw Maw (my mom) and that I have a grandma.
He loved seeing great Aunt Betty and Uncle Bubby. I told him that my grandma was sick and he must have heard us say something about being old, because he started to refer to her as "the old grandma"! Sean provided us with much needed comic relief.
My grandma looked skeletal. It was so sad. We got her to the hospital and she perked up once she had an IV. I think a skilled nursing unit in a nursing home, would be best for her. I'll be planning a return trip to MS, soon.

Playdate And No Nap

so cute!!

he loves rides

playing "whack a mole"


Sean and I went to a playdate with the Covington Moms Club this morning at a much, much smaller version of a CEC. What was best is that it was only about 15 min. from home! Sean had a blast playing all of the arcade games. When we were out of tokens, he sat in front of a machine (game) with a steering wheel and had the best time. Had I known this, I could have saved a lot of money. He was entertained by just steering the wheel. He tells me all of the time that he wants to drive my car!
Later, I tried in vain to get him to nap, but it was a no-go. So, I was pleasantly surprised when he played all by himself with his toys for about an hour! Sean has always asked me to play with him and I was thrilled that he has started to learn to use his imagination and play on his own.
He spent the evening with Kenny while I went to play Bunco which was a much needed distraction for me since, I've been worrying about my grandma. Thank you, Kenny!

Sundays...

Sundays are pretty much the same for us right now. There is church, my RCIA class and then a long family nap!
My uncle phoned and my grandma is pretty much the same, so while I cried and kept to myself, Kenny and Sean enjoyed some father/son time by watching Toy Story and playing trucks and cars.

Rosemary Elaine Woods Pique

This morning I got a phone call from my aunt that my paternal grandma hasn't eaten in 3 days and that my uncle is a wreck. I immediately started to cry. My grandma is 89 and has lived a long live, this I know. However, she is the spitting image of my daddy. When I look into her deep blue eyes, I see my daddy's eyes. I'm grieving now that I may lose this link to daddy and am not coping well. Sean saw me cry and I told him that my Maw Maw was sick and that I was sad.
My uncle called later and said that he thinks she has had a stroke and she has been talking about my deceased father all week. I'm planning a trip to MS, this week, as I told my uncle that I need to see her. Her doctor will see her on Mon. to give us more details.
I love you, grandma!!