Word Equivalents

Just had to post a few words that you currently say, and their equivalents. They will probably soon be a thing of the past, so here they are:

commerciables=commercials; as in 'Mom, I need that. I saw it in a commerciable."

lemolade=lemonade; as in 'I'm thirsty. Can I have some more lemolade, please?'

sumpin=something; as in 'Grandpa, I've got sumpin' to show you.'

Favorite commercials to sing:

Cat's Eye Pest Control "Cat's Eye. We're the best of the best to get rid of your pests."

Koto Restaurant "The Koto experience. Experience the magic. Experience the mystery. Experience exotic tastes, steeped in rich history..."

Being Five!

Where to begin? Your party was last weekend with a Spiderman theme, of course! There were nine of you boys ages 4 and 5 and both Daddy and I were run ragged! And it's not like we haven't both worked with tons of kids throughout our lives. For some reason, though, you guys drove us to drink- me literally- after the wee ones were gone, of course! I think part of the problem is that Dad forgot to come up structured outdoor activities- even though I left that department to him (and reminded him a multitude of times, of course). I'm safe saying this because I know he doesn't read this blog (yet)! Towards the end we had a scavenger hunt for your goody bags, which were hiding in the turtle sandbox. And lastly, the Spiderman pull-string pinata. Although you cried a few times after having been pushed down and unused to the commotion of many energetic kids, the party was a success. And thankfully, we don't have to do it again for a whole year!

As for gifts, I don't think you could get any happier with the present you got this year from us- an AT-Rex Power Wheels. As soon as you saw it you grinned from ear to ear- for hours! And the whole time you were driving your 4-wheeler around the yard. And every day since!

Today, it's Mother's Day. I received a homemade card from you in the mail, thanks to your preschool. On Friday, you had walked with your class to the post office specifically to mail out those cards. What a great surprise! And at daycare, Kate helped you prepare candy flower lollipops, which she put in a plastic coffee cup. The inside liner was colored by you and had a nice photo of you (with your shirt on backwards for Wacky Wednesday) on it. But the gifts didn't stop there! You and Daddy had gone shopping and you'd picked out a hummingbird feeder for me, so we could attract the birds just like at Grandma's house. And Daddy got me a FlipVideo! Expect lots of videos from now on! We also took Grandma out to brunch at Uncle Jeremy's new restaurant- The LongHorn at Lake Vanare. It was delightful and packed! In fact the whole family came out- the Vans, all the Castleton Clan, the CT crew, Nana, Papa, Grandma, Poppy, and Katlin. And Daddy hosted the gig! We wish Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Shannon much success in the future! It's the holidays that bring us together and remind us how important family is. I'm glad for our family. Love, Mom

Spring Has Sprung!

And we've decided to embrace it! Last week- during school vacation, we headed to Merck Forest in Rupert, VT. It has a lot of trails and a small farm onsite. We decided to test our luck and followed the Discovery Trail through the forest to the farm. Within the first 100' you were ready to be carried, but we tempted you with farm animals and challenged you with finding the trail markers. You walked a good deal of the way down and over, but when the going got tough and the trail headed uphill, you requested a lift. Daddy obliged, and luckily the trail wasn't that terribly long, as both Daddy and I discovered...actually, remembered is probably more accurate- that we're horribly out of shape! We rested and checked out the animals and the vista. Then headed the much shorter way back to our car where we happened across this giant, hollow tree. Afterwards, we headed to Manchester for lunch and a quick shopping trip where we ran into Tanya and her family, of all people! We must have a psychic connection...either that or we just don't see enough of each other at work or on our block!

Today we headed to the mighty Hudson for a picnic as it is absolutely gorgeous for the third week of April: 88 and sunny! We picked up some sandwiches (and cookies, of course!) from Washington Square Deli and went to visit Papa and Nana. While there, you decided to give the fishing a try. And you caught something EVERY time you cast! Of course, it helps that your pole has a red, rubber fish attached! You also got to ride in Papa's new VW Beetle...we could barely see the tip of your head in all your unseatbelted glory as you traveled across the lawn, as the seats are so low! Case in point- check out Uncle Jeremy's profile in the picture!

Upcoming plans include your 5th birthday! Your actual day is on Friday, so you'll be bringing in Spiderman themed cupcakes with Spiderman ring decorations and cupcake papers to preschool. Dinner will be at Friendly's followed by your present from Mommy and Daddy- a kid-sized ATV! Luckily, you can't read at this point and don't follow my blog, so I'm not divulging any secrets! Your party will be on Saturday and we've invited 10 little boys from preschool!! I'm not sure what we've gotten ourselves into, but it should be fun, as we're planning an obstacle course and scavenger hunt alongside a Spidey cake and pinata. I'm SURE they'll be good stories to post afterwards. You're very excited about being five- I hope it lives up to your expectations! Recently, you also participated in kindergarten registration Part 1. After meeting in the library, the teachers whisked you off with instructions to pick you up a few hours later- AFTER the much-anticipated bus ride! Of course, your favorite part WAS the BUS! I also wanted to know what else you did, but the only thing you offered up was that you played. When pressed, you said "with broken cars." When I asked if you colored, you said no- you swept things up because it was dusty. Oh dear. And that was all you said- even after my probe! Grandma found out you had to pick out numbers, which were out of order. Some other detective work uncovered that you also sang The Wheels on the Bus, had to provide your address and phone number, and draw a picture. Yours was of Grandma and you- of course, you drew yourself larger! You have another visit coming up, and I'm interested to hear what happens, although we know at least one of the teachers thinks you're 'READY for Kindergarten!' (her son is in Daddy's class, so she emailed him that you were a very polite young man, too)! You are certainly much more adventurous and confident, so we're excited to see what's in store for you! Love, Mom

Had to Post!

Dear Madigan,

I had to post this, as it was too cute. You just came over to me and put your hands on both sides of my face so that you could get my attention to tell me this:

"I just want to tell you that even when you have diarrhea I still love you. Even when you throw up. And Dad too."

We love you too, Madigan.

Love, Mom

PS: This obviously stems from our bout with the gastrointestinal distress blogged about earlier this year!

February Vacation 2009!

Dear Madigan,

I'm sorry it's been so long since last I posted. My only excuse is that we were preparing for and then on vacation to Florida! And we had an eventful and enjoyable time!

To begin with, we flew to Newark and then on to Jacksonville. I must admit- flying is not my favorite form of transportation, as I feel it is VERY unnatural to be hurtling through the air in a heavy metal vehicle, but I try to hide my anxiety so that you will not be frightened. So far, so good. You seem unaffected. You do, however, seem to feel the need to visit each of our plane's miniscule bathrooms- they are definitely not sized for two! And you have a fascination with your tray table- much to the chagrin of the passenger in front of you! This time we kept you occupied with snacking (Continental actually gives you more substantial food items than just pretzels/peanuts. Case in point: our first leg was a small turkey or ham sandwich, small bag of Fritos, and small Hershey bar! Our last leg was a muffin!), reading books, drawing, and sleeping. Luckily the dead battery in the DVD player didn't throw us into a tailspin (you OR the plane!).

While in Florida, we stayed with Grandma and Grandpa on the beach in Amelia Island. Even though it wasn't as warm as we would have liked, we still combed for sharks teeth and played in the sand and surf. We also went out to eat many times and hit a few playgrounds! We also took a trip down to Kissimmee to visit Nana and Papa who have a pool in their gated community. While there, we hit Animal Kingdom. Even though it was packed, we got to experience 'It's Tough to Be a Bug,' which scared you a bit, as the 3-D glasses made it feel like the mean bug was coming right at you! The safari was great fun and we saw a lot of animals from the safety of the jeep. And Flights of Wonder was cool as the birds flew over and around our heads! And on our way back to Amelia, we stopped at Cracker Barrel in Daytona, which is RIGHT NEXT to the Daytona Speedway. That was cool because we'd just seen (some of) the race on TV a few days before. Sadly, we couldn't get a picture because it started pouring while we were in the restaurant. Figures.

It was great fun and a much needed break from the February snows and cold of New York. And we're already looking forward to next year...maybe we can convince Grandma and Grandpa to go a little farther south. We'll see!

Love, Mom

PS: I am making a pledge to get back on track with chronicling our adventures, as I want to capture some of the very interesting insights you have on life!

We're Ba-ack!

Dear Madigan,

It took two weeks after the illness began, but we're finally back to 'normal!' During that time I also got gastrointestinal distress (I won't elaborate, as I'm sure whatever you're imagining is spot on) and you became dehydrated enough to present blood in your urine. It was scary and awful, but thankfully everyone we spoke to and came in contact with from Main Street Peds was extremely understanding and compassionate. They put me at ease reassuring me that we just needed to push fluids and you'd bounce back. In the meantime, we'd do a clean-catch pee in a cup for them to run a culture on and you'd begin antibiotics just in case. Happily, you have no infection, and did not need to complete your course of meds. You just needed to drink! Since then, you have resumed your normal eating habits and especially enjoyed a hearty helping of spaghetti (see photo above!).

Also new since last post are our skiing adventures. While you are eager to ski down the 'big mountain' with me, you are less than thrilled about your ski lessons. You had a successful first lesson, but then missed a week due to your illness. Returning to your lesson this past week was challenging. We arrived early, so you had 15 minutes of direct instruction before any other kids were there. You are working on your wedge, but it's not coming that easily. Daddy thinks it doesn't help that we were standing there in your line of sight, so next week, we will be otherwise occupied- Daddy working in the ski shop, and me on the mountain honing my (lack of) skills. You started crying and gave up pretty easily, but I think you were also still on the mend at that point, and tired easily- sidestepping up the hill numerous times only lasts so long! You're game to give it another shot, and have been practicing your pizza pie inside sans skis...let's hope you can finally move over to the Magic Carpet- we'd all be happier!

As for school- big doings this week. You and I attended the second meeting for Ready, Set, Kindergarten and you got to do fun activities with the occupational therapist and a few of your future classmates. Parachute play was fun, as well as 'climbing' in the mitten (aka cooperation blanket!) pretending to be one of Jan Brett's animal illustrations. You also had the chance to go to the primary library and pick out a bag of books to borrow. And I went to a parent-teacher conference at Pooh's Corner with Mrs. Infante (Daddy misses all this because he's teaching his 5th graders). She said she has no concerns about you, but there are a few areas we should be working on: the alphabet song, as your middle letters are: J, J, Kel, M, N, O, P -the rest of the letters make it unscathed! We also need to teach you our phone number...we have worked on 9-1-1, but apparently you should also know how to call home. And consistency with writing your name...we've moved from Madan, to Madgan, and sometimes Madigan, but not consistently. Socially, she says you're very polite and have many friends. We're proud of you, because it's hard being the child of two teachers ...and knowing it all (ha!). Thankfully, you don't seem to 'know it all' in school, and for that we're grateful.

Things have been busy, but not so busy that we've haven't noticed that you're growing up and into a very thoughtful little man. You are sensitive, caring, and bright, and we hope you always remain that way. I love you.

Love, Mom

Gastrointestinal Distress

Dear Madigan,

It is now a Sunday afternoon- instead of running around shooting your dart gun, you are laying limply at my side watching Stuart Little. Since Wednesday night, you've had gastrointestinal distress. It began with vomiting, shifting to the southern regions. Since then, you have not moved other than to vomit or use the facilities. You didn't even speak until today, as it simply took too much energy. It is very sad to watch- especially being able to do nothing except hold the pot while you puke and apply cold compresses to your head. Even now, your attempts at conversation fall short, as you forget your train of thought. Thankfully, I have seen slight improvements since yesterday AND the day before that. But you still have intestinal issues and have lost weight off your already slight frame. I am simply waiting for you to feel better. You have never had any ailment for very long and at this intensity, and it's hard for us all. Even now, though, you reach for my hand. "I just want you," you said to me. You are a sweet little boy and shouldn't have to feel this way, but I believe it will make your body stronger in the end. I love you and look forward to tomorrow.