neal got up with the kids today and they got some quality daddy time while i got to sleep a little longer. we went to the gym later than usual. the kids wanted to go! they were so excited to see what kind of food would be there - it was an open house at the gym and there were balloons and free food, it was very exciting! the kids got to watch pippi longstocking for the first time. they loved it and asked to watch it over and over. it's very cute to hear rex say "pippi longstocking". after nap, we went swimming at island park. our friends, safina and emery, met us there. malloy was very excited that safina showed up. the girls had so much fun together while rex mostly played with neal. after dinner, we got to watch pippi for a little bit, then took a bath and went to bed. they went out without a peep tonight!! bedtime had gone much smoother lately. i've started taking malloy to the bathroom before i go to bed. so now she knows that i'll get her up to go potty and doesn't yell that she has to go a million times before bed. it's also stopped her waking up in the middle of the night and yelling for me over little things. a few nights ago she woke up twice yelling for me - once to go to the bathroom and once to put her blanket on. ridiculous! so i had a talk with her in the morning and told her that i was no longer getting up in the middle of the night. i put a nightlight on in the bathroom so she can go by herself if she needs to. it seems to have worked! she's slept through the past 2 nights. i'm hoping it sticks! 

this morning, we went to the gym and then took a quick trip down to the farmer's market. malloy requested that we go "to the one that sells bread". she is a bread addict!! she remembered tshat we got a pretzel roll at the farmer's market in newark valley last weekend and wanted it again! she was so excited to do a craft at the kid's tent and there wasn't one this week :( we were all bummed! so she picked out an almond croissant and we sat next to cousin colin's blueberry tent and had a yummy treat. we scored some free blueberries and then headed back home for lunch. after nap, malloy was excited to find that she got a new highlights magazine in the mail! what an exciting day! we immediately read the entire magazine and the cut out the game in the back and played it a few times. then rex woke up and we played for a bit. malloy loves to make food for us. she comes out, all business, and asks what we would like to eat. i'll order and then she'll tell me that she's out of one thing or another and would i like __ instead. she's all set to waitress as soon as she's old enough for a job! 

during dinner, i called malloy "pippi" because she had two braids in. this sparked a whole conversation about who pippi longstocking was. we watched a trailer for the 1988 "the new adventures of pippi longstocking" (one of my favorite movies back then!!) and she was hooked! she wants to watch the movie so bad now!! neal found the movie and she will be able to watch it in the morning. i don't know who's more excited - her or me! 

rex continues to crack me up!! he was playing with his play-doh monsters and was telling me what each one of them wanted to do. one wanted to watch a movie, one wanted to slide. he gets so serious sometimes when he's playing! 

snacking at the farmer's market

doing some crafts

playing with monsters

please excuse the lack of pants in the video...

another day spent mostly at home. we went to the gym this morning and then after nap, we went to party city to get supplies and favors for rex's birthday party! malloy and rex were both very good in the store, not asking for anything, even though they were surrounded by all of their favorite characters. malloy likes to go in the "scary" section with the costumes and look around. when we got back, they played nicely while i got dinner ready. malloy was sharing her toys with rex and was very proud of herself for doing so. i was proud of her, too! we've been working very hard on sharing!

during dinner, rex was talking with neal and asked "who's your mama?" neal told him that grandma tappy was his mama. rex then asked "who's your malloy?" "who's your rex?" he is forever thinking and trying to make sense of everything, all while making us laugh!

teeny tiny pancakes! 

this is the favorite breakfast at the moment!

we had a very low key day today. just gym and wegmans quick for milk then we stayed home. i got a lot of much needed cleaning done while the kids played nicely. it's been a while since we had a day at home. i think we all needed it!

update!
friday: gym, target, naps, got packed and ready to head back to newark valley! the kids were super excited to get chicken, french fries, and chocolate milk at wendy's to eat on the way! neither one of the kids ate their french fries and the toys are too old for them - next time i think we'll just get chicken nuggets! we had a good ride home - rex didn't nap at all but he made it until we were 10 minutes away from grandma and grandpa's and fell asleep! he was out cold - i changed him and put him to bed and he didn't move a muscle! malloy was happy to be at grandma and grandpa's. we tried very hard to keep her quiet so rex would stay asleep. he stayed asleep, but she was not very quiet!

rainbow on the way home

relaxing and being good while i pack!

rex LOVES this barbie fashion toy

saturday: we went to great-grandpa don's funeral mass this morning. it was the kids' first time in church. they did amazing! i brought some snacks and small activities and that kept them quiet the entire time. we got several compliments from family, friends, and strangers about how impressed they were with the kids' behavior in church! it was nice to hear that. makes me a proud mama! after mass, we went to a party to celebrate great-grandpa don's life. during the party, a drum and pipe band came in and played several songs. both kids really enjoyed it! rex was on neal's shoulders just bouncing away to the beat of the drums. malloy was clapping and waving like it was a parade - i love her and all of her enthusiasm! after nap (which malloy did not take) we went over to grandma val and grandpa don's house for pizza. they had just gotten back from vacation and had some presents for the kids. they got a stuffed pig and stuffed cow that their cousin sam had won and sent back with grandma and grandpa. they LOVED them! they also got a stuffed octopus, a stuffed crab, and some t-shirts. 

picking veggies in grandma's garden

sunday: after breakfast at grandma tappy and grandpa gary's, we went over for lunch at grandma val and grandpa don's. after lunch, they ran around outside and got some swinging in before it was time to drive back to buffalo! both kids took a nice long nap and only had an hour left to keep themselves occupied in the car. it was a nice quick trip. that night, malloy wanted to watch a show in bed instead of reading or playing a game. malloy watched bo on the go and rex played his lightning mcqueen memory game on the tablet. 

monday: we went to a playdate at a friend's house. they had an inground pool to swim in. the kids were very excited to go swimming! rex was having more fun than malloy. malloy was very skittish and didn't want to swim on her own. i think part of it was that the water was so cold - she was shaking like a leaf!  their were older kids at the playdate - malloy and rex were both loving them! they were trying to hard to be included in what they were doing. they were following them around but not talking to them. eventually they got to play a game with them and play in the box fort with them. they were so happy! 

tuesday: on our way home from the gym, i asked the kids what we should do for the day. malloy requested to go to the science museum. so that's what we did! i really love going there with them - they have such a great time!! this time, we got to shoot boogers in the giant nose and make the guy burp! very exciting! 

making shadows

putting together the skeleton puzzle

they were riding this dog around the house together. it was so funny! 

today we went to the gym and then were off to the zoo with our friends, gianna,kenadee, brooke, and ben! brooke and malloy were holding hands a lot. at one point, brooke said "this is fun holding your hand, malloy". they were being so cute! 

while i was getting dinner ready, malloy came out and asked what i was making. i showed her the sweet potatoes i was making and the broccoli. we had a very yummy dinner!! tilapia, sweet and spicy sweet potatoes (dipped in honey) and roasted broccoli. both kids ate everything on their plates! i was so impressed and proud of them for eating. it's been a long time since they've eaten without a lot of reminders to take another bite! 

after dinner, we played outside for a bit. we ended up in the front yard and the kids helped weed the front flowerbeds. they loved pulling things out of the garden and throwing it in the bins. apparently it tired them right out because they went to bed without a peep! 

nothing too exciting today. gym, errands, lunch, nap. after nap malloy was a complete wreck. she was an emotional puddle, crying at EVERYTHING! i finally convinced her that maybe she needed some quiet time in her room. she went in and read books for about 45 minutes. she came out all smiles and reset! while she was in her room, rex enjoyed his own quiet time playing with squinkies. the kids love each other and play great together sometimes, but sometimes they just need their alone time!

i forgot to post this the other day, the story popped into my head and made me laugh. on sunday, while we were still at grandma tappy and grandpa gary's house, rex got into some trouble. he was being quiet for a very long time and i saw him running out of their bathroom. i asked him what he was doing and he said "i don't know!" and ran away. i went into the bathroom and the toilet seat was wet so i looked inside. he had put grandma's little dish of jewelry in the toilet! that night when we were reading stories, he looked up at me with wide eyes and said in almost a whisper "grandma's earrings toilet". i had no idea what he said the first time but he was so serious i asked him to tell me again. and he repeated exactly the same way. he seemed to have been feeling a bit guilty about his actions!

yesterday was another very very hot day! after the gym we hung out outside in our bathing suits playing in the pool and sand. after nap, malloy and i played some candyland and guess who while rex slept a bit longer. then it was back outside for more water and sand play! we ate dinner outside, played some more and then it was bedtime!

today, after the gym, we went to the museum of science. we had a great time!! it was a nice change of pace. we played with everything in the playroom, then walked around the museum. there was a grossology exhibit where you could walk in a giant nose, shoot boogers in another nose, make fart noises, make burp noises, crawl in a huge mouth and slide down the esophagus, and more! both kids were a little freaked out by the entire exhibit. rex kept saying "i scared. it's scary!" they love the all about you room. malloy found a skeleton puzzle and started putting it together. she did great with it! both kids were so well behaved and stayed with me the whole time! i didn't take a stroller or a diaper bag! they're growing up!!
we went to chili's for dinner tonight with uncle ryan. he's up for guard this week. malloy was so excited to order her own dinner. anytime the waitress came over she'd say " i want chicken! mom, can i tell her i want chicken now?" it was cute.

wake up and dress up!

rex saw they computer and said "i wanna watch woody buzz" :)