Family on Memorial Day

It is naptime now and the boys (and everyone else) were so ready for it! What a fun Memorial Day. We spent basically all morning long outdoors in our little backyard. It's pretty impressive how much fun you can have in such a small space.


Koen spent about an hour working with his trucks in a little sandbox area Doug made for him in the corner of the patio (see video). I love hearing him imagine and create on his own, not to mention his adorable voice.



Aunt Leah bought Koen a ball and bat that you saw him working with yesterday, but today Daddy and Koen had another lesson together. The tee definitely helps, but Koen seems to show signs of aptitude in athletics which will be fun to see develop.
Leah also bought a little badminton set. She and I had a hilarious time playing that for awhile. We did quite well I think, although Doug had a good time laughing at us. The game was tough for Koen, so he become the "Birdie Retriever," which he found quite fun.

Our cousin Steven drove down from Buffalo for the day to be somewhere new and with family for the holiday. He spent the morning at Abbie's and then they came over together for lunch. It was so fun having family on our turf and seeing him engage with the boys. He was great with Koen and Koen warmed right up to him. Here's a picture of Steve trying to teach Koen badminton (Koen thought he was really starting to get it, but truly, not so much).

Tavin was pretty hot and wasn't interested in spending time in the pool, so he went inside and enjoyed some time inside with his aunts.
At the end of our afternoon, before naptime, the thunderclouds were looming, so Douglas got the backyard cleaned up and we turned the AC on and moved inside. We all hung out in the living room. Leah loved having her hands on Tavin and he was so cute since we had taken him down to his diaper to cool him off. Later he was hanging out on my lap and Aunt Abbie took the chance for a little photo shoot.

At 2:30, Koen had been laid down, Tavin was moving slow and Aunt Leah had to leave. It was so sad to say goodbye. The three of us girls really bonded this weekend and Doug and Leah also get along great. We totally wish Leah lived here! What a special weekend for us all. Thanks for coming, Aunt Leah!

Abbie and Steve took off too for some touring around the Burgh, so I'm settling down for some blogging, folding laundry and hopefully downtime before Tavin wakes up to be fed again! What a great day!

Backyard Time with Aunt Leah

Koen is so enjoying this special visit with his Aunt Leah (as we all are). And we are all enjoying the benefits of the backyard improvements as we spend time together this weekend in the hot weather. It's great because after naptime the backyard is mostly in the shade and last night there was a beautiful breeze as well.

Last night after we woke Koen up from a 3 hour nap at 5:30pm, we all hung out in the backyard. He eventually ate his dinner out there, ending with watermelon. In this photo, he is in one chair having a very adult discussion with Aunt Leah, "how was your day Aunt Leah?" while covered in watermelon juice, followed by, "what was your favorite part?"

(also notice how Leah is entertaining Koen as well as keeping Tavin happy on her lap)

Today after church, Aunt Leah worked on teaching Koen how to play wiffle ball. We ended up making Koen a "tee" as Leah's pitching is a little off. But Koen is making progress and Leah is a great teacher. Koen definitely enjoys this special attention and this new sweet relationship he's developing. He definitely told me, "go inside Mommy, I'm spending time with Aunt Leah right now."

a lesson on how to hold the bat

our makeshift "tee"

RiverQuest Pittsburgh

We just got back from such a fun day in Pittsburgh as a family (with the addition of Aunt Abbie and Aunt Leah)!

Our Science Center membership expires on the 31st, so we thought we would take advantage of it and get our free passes to go on the RiverQuest tour. It was fabulous. The crew was a little intense (one lady in particular was frustrating with bossing our kids around and she even called me out when I was trying to grab Tavin's pacifier to get him calmed down at one point when she was giving instructions. Weird! Anyways, once we shoved off from the dock, it was wonderful. A mid-80's, less humid and nice and breezy day here - perfect for a cruise down the Allegheny.

Tavin had a rough time on the beginning of the ride as we had to wake him from his nap to go. He was just tired. After a bottle, and being held by Mommy, he was much more comfortable. Koen was so into everything. The cruise is educational regarding the river wildlife as well as caring for the environment. Koen took advantage of the fact they had binoculars available. He wore a pair for the entire journey. He thought he was taking pictures.

Doug and I both used the opportunity to play tour guide with Leah, showing her all the sites and giving her all the random facts and knowledge we possess. She was a good sport.

After we docked (and had to explain to Koen that he couldn't take the binoculars with him), we walked down the Heritage Trail about a 1/4 mile to a restaurant with outdoor seating overlooking the Point, downtown and the river. Lovely! Hot, but really nice. Koen did very well hanging out with the adults, dealing with the heat and starting to get tired. Doug had a fabulous idea after he and Koen had finished their lunches...he walked Koen another 1/4 mile down the Heritage trail to a swimming-friendly fountain on the riverfront. We girls met up with them a few minutes later to find Koen stripped down to his underpants playing the fountain and just loving it! It was packed there. It has definitely become quite the attraction on the North Side for families. We will definitely be going back. What a view while you are playing with the kids.

Tavin was such a trooper today. He's had 3 days in a row now where we have had busy mornings and he hasn't had a real morning nap. He did get a short nap this morning today, then slept through our lunch and is now napping here at home and it's been an hour already. It's hard for me to yank him out of his normal routine. I love to keep things predictable for him. But it's been fun for Koen to get out of the house these last few mornings and I'm continually impressed with how much Tavin can take and adapt, which is healthy for he and I to learn too.

Another note I have to make is that Koen and Tavin have such fun aunts in Aunt Abbie and Aunt Leah. What a blessing to all be together and Koen and Tavin are so blessed by their sweet care and interest.

Aunt Leah is Here!

Yesterday we picked up Aunt Leah at the airport (after packing in several errands, dropping cookies off for friends and dropping Daddy off for work twice (that's right, twice, he forgot his bag and we had to go back to the house and get it)). Koen was so excited to be going to the airport and that Aunt Leah was visiting (although his excitement is not portrayed in this picture.
Leah is a natural with the boys and from the second she got in the car has been such a help to me. It's weird entertaining family/friends after you have kids. Without meaning to, you feel like you are using them as a child attender/babysitter. Koen just likes our friends and wants to play with them too (plus 3 years olds are definitely self-focused and I'm pretty sure he thinks Aunt Leah came to play with him). Koen is already super comfortable with Leah. As soon as we got home from the airport, he wanted to hold Tavin and she was holding him. They sat down on the couch together. Aunt Leah asked him a distracting question and he said, "We can talk about that later, Aunt Leah, after I hold Tavin."

Soon after, Koen told me to hold Tavin and go inside so that he and Aunt Leah could play together in the backyard. They had fun before naptime "watering the roses" which also became watering Koen. A refreshing task before laying down for nap. He took a solid 3 hour nap again. Yay!

While Koen and Tavin napped (Tavin really struggled, but eventually did fall back asleep and napped until quarter to 5!), Doug had to do a wedding and I attended. It was for some friends of ours at church. Lovely ceremony (I'm a big fan of the officiator), beautiful bride, pretty church and gorgeous, hot day. Doug and I ran home after the wedding to relieve Leah with Tavin, although she had things perfectly under control. Tavin was eating a bottle from her as we walked in. Such a natural and so comfortable with my kids! Thanks, Leah!

After Koen's naptime, Aunt Leah played with him upstairs for awhile. Doug and I were both impressed by her imagination and creativity. =) Koen loved it. He didn't want to come down for dinner. Eventually we convinced him that eating was essential to life and he conceded. It helped that Aunt Leah came and sat next to him. It is so sweet to see Koen getting to know her and enjoying her so much. After the boys went to bed, Abbie joined us here and we had a great Mexican dinner, thanks to my husband, the chef, and we enjoyed it out in the backyard as the air had cooled down due to some thunderstorms that passed through. Doug eventually left us to just be girls and it was so nice being "sisters" and hanging out. So fun to have Leah here!

Zoo Outing

I would put the title as, "Tavin's First Trip to the Zoo," but I totally didn't get a picture of him on the outing, so I feel like he got jipped. Oh well, I recorded it in his baby book. He was such a trooper. It's mid-80's here, a little humid and very sunny. He chilled out in the carriage and had a bottle in the shade and that is about all he knew that went on.


Koen, on the other hand, was a basket case. I think I need to totally reteach him how to act normal since being sick. He has been picky when he does eat, he's had a lackluster appetite since not eating much when he wasn't feeling well and he has developed a chronic case of whinitis (that is right, inflammation of the whining).


He was OK at home this morning, although I was excited to get out and do something different outside our warm, warm house. The trip there was not a problem and getting through the gates, still no issue. Then, "I want a snack," "no, I want something else," "where is the water fountain?," "but I want to go in there with the elephants!" Seriously, almost non-stop the whole time he was whining or complaining about something. Here I am having a fun time socializing, being outdoors on the gorgeous day, checking out these great animals and also hoofing it up hills with a double stroller dripping with sweat. He's got it easy riding along in the shade of his stroller awning and he still wants more, something different, out, in, up...


Finally he came back to himself when we rested in the shade to give Tavin his bottle. I don't know what to do with the incessant whining. That is the hardest thing.


His favorite part of the time at the zoo was whenever we would find a water fountain. Seriously, these are the only pictures I have, because the rest of the time he wasn't happy and so we were moving on.

It's a good thing my friend Meaghan was there with her son Austin. She was fun to talk to, walk with and most importantly had some distracting and interesting healthy snacks to share which brought Koen back to reality. Thanks, Meaghan!

2 Fun Lunch Date Days & Aunt Abbie in Between

Yesterday a big highlight was going to meet Lisa for lunch. Lisa is our dear family friend who used to watch Koen every Wednesday while I would go to work (pre-Tavin). She is super busy this Spring with work and school, so we miss seeing her regularly, but she still has such a special place in our hearts and Koen loves the chance to see her. He was really looking forward to lunch out with Lisa, although he was mixed up and thought she was coming here and walking there with us. He kept going on and on..."then Lisa will come, then you can push the carriage and I will hold Lisa's hand and then we will get to the restaurant. Ok, Mommy?"

Tavin made a sweet connection with Lisa too. He was quite fussy at lunch as he is suffering from some teething discomfort lately. When I passed him to Lisa so I could run to the restroom, he was completely fine and happy to be with her. Of course though, my little boys just love her!

Another fun thing for the boys yesterday was that Aunt Abbie came over to babysit and put them to bed. She had a great time bonding with both of them. Here are a few pictures of Koen being silly during dinner for her. Oh, fun aunts! Thanks, Ab, you did a great job handling both of them and getting them both happily to bed!

Today we had Beth and Isabelle visit to play and have lunch. Koen was looking forward to it despite the age difference between he and Isabelle (Isabelle is almost a year and a half). Yesterday I got a baby pool for the backyard since I knew it would be high 80's today and much of the week. The kids both loved it! I was glad it was a hit. It's the plan for most days this summer I think as we are pretty homebound in the AM due to Tavin's nap.

After Beth and Isabelle went home and Tavin was fed, Koen and I took Tavin out for a swim. His Bumbo really helps with keeping him safe and upright and my hands can still be free (although closeby). He really liked it at first, but the bright sun reflecting off the water made it difficult for him when the sun came out from behind the clouds. I'm going to have to dig out the BabyBanz from Koen's old things. Those should make some good pictures in the coming weeks of summer! =)

Koen, The Builder

The tool bench came with a tool belt, which at first Koen was not interested in wearing, but that has now changed. He is all about being like "Bob the Builder" now.

Koen and Doug spent the entire morning outside (although also took a quick trip to Home Depot). Doug hit the clearance plants at Home Depot and got me 4 more rose bushes. We now have a real rose garden. This is special to me because my Nana loved roses and would cut them and have them throughout her house. I also remember pressing roses with her when I would stay there. I'm excited to have my own flourishing rosebed. Thank you to Koen's Nana and PopPop for funding the new additions to the backyard. That was so sweet of you to leave us a gift to use specifically for plants of my choice back there. Thanks again!Tavin and I didn't get much time out in the yard with the busy workers, but when we did Tavin wore a hat my mom gave him recently. So cute and hilarious!

Tavin's Fake Cough

I totally remember when Koen learned to fake cough and Tavin has now discovered this fun new noise. I'm sure it'll be driving me crazy in a week when he is still doing it, but I'm getting the biggest kick out of it. And I love that he did it right away on the video.

Fun Front Porch Surprises

I pretty much forced Koen to go outside on the front porch with Tavin and I after lunch. I was dying for the sunshine and fresh air after yesterday's rainy day and a half a week of couped up Koen care.

After being out there about 15 mins., someone familiar pulled up (and with my poor vision I wasn't quite sure who was waving at me from across the street until a minute later). It was Uncle Nate! Yay! Human adult contact! Megan had a meeting, so Nate thought he would stop by to see the godkids. Perfect timing!

After about 30 mins. of hanging out with Uncle Nate, talking, snacking and playing with the boys. Another familiar face pulled up and started walking towards the house (again, a delay on my part of recognizing the person). It was "Mr." Tom who did our retaining wall and privacy fence. When he had been here a few weeks ago, he noticed Koen playing with one of Doug's hammers and mentioned that his kids had outgrown a tool bench set. Well, today he brought it over. It is so great and has so many different tools, supplies and compartments. Koen loved it from minute 1. It also came with a tool belt, but Koen was a little shy to try it on. Nate helped Koen get it all set up and he loved it (Koen, I mean).

Aunt Megan stopped by about 20 mins. after that. So much fun to have our friends stop by and to all be enjoying the gorgeous day it has turned into.

Nate & Megan left around 2pm and then I took the boys upstairs for nap together. They both sat in Koen's big chair and I read them three books. Tavin loved it. He was flapping his arms and legs all over the place and Koen thought it was fun to sit in the chair with Tavin and have "storytime" from Mommy on the floor. I love my boys!

As soon as they were down for nap, I went outside to tend to my roses, weed the mulched beds in the back and cut new roses to re-vamp my indoor vases from earlier in the week. Fun! Tavin might be waking up unfortunately, and Koen is still not asleep. Hmmm...what will the afternoon/evening bring?

Koen's Back!

Check out the video. Koen is back indeed. He finally turned the bend. It's just a bad cold now I guess. I'm really hoping he settles down eventually for a nap, but the video (of the monitor monologue) exemplifies that his energy is high along with his spirits! I believe he and Teddy are "playing games" which usually involves a lot of Teddy getting thrown around. That is why you hear "ouch" a lot.

Blogging, Bathtime and Babies

When I started this post I was sitting on the bathroom floor while Koen was in the bubble bath entertaining himself. He is very congested and irritated by it today. Thankfully, no fever upon wake-up although he was very out of sorts. Poor little guy. He was really upset after he realized how hungry he was. He ate two pieces of toast with jam right away this morning. That's more than he's had for breakfast in the last few days combined!

Tavin woke up late, so that was nice. I had gotten up at 6am with Doug, so I got a lot of little things done while the boys slept on. After I fed Tavin we went up to get Koen around 8am. Tavin, of course, has been such a bright spot the last few days for both Koen and I. Gets our minds off of how lousy Koen is feeling!

I brought the "exersaucer" up from the basement today (thanks, Erica!). Tavin really enjoyed it, but Koen liked it a lot more. It has a tractor with two carts it couples to and pulls, so he was loving playing with it. He did really well sharing it with Tavin.

So far our day is going OK. Couldn't go to church because of Koen's germs and unstable behavior, so I'm hoping we don't go nuts here at the house. We'll see!

Dark & Dreary Saturday - in more ways than one

Saturday was sticky, drizzly, thundering and primarily dark outside the house. Inside the house it was dim, stuffy and dreary. Koen woke up with a fever again. He had low energy for the first half of the morning and then spiked to a silly high for about an hour. Doug gave him a long bubble bath which calmed him down and loosened him up. Thankfully he took a fabulous nap today (which he requested to go to himself - see picture of reading), the first day in three days that he hasn't woken up really early and upset. This evening he was lethargic and still had such a small appetite. This virus/cold/bug is really disagreeing with him. If he still has a fever on Monday I think I will get him checked out. It seems like a long time to me for a virus, but I have very little knowledge in this area.

Tavin today was adorable as usual. This afternoon while Koen was sleeping some friends stopped by, Nathan and Kara and their son, James. Nathan was helping Doug learn how to clean the lawnmower to maintain it better (yay for money savings!). Kara and I hung out with our little boys. James and Tavin are almost exactly one month apart. They had a good time together. Tavin was a little fussy this afternoon and it seemed to be caused by his teeth/gums. Poor thing. Thankfully though, thus far, there are no signs of whatever Koen has.

Tonight we were supposed to go out to dinner with some friends, but we called the babysitter off just as she was pulling up to the house (sorry, Corey and Cookie!). Last night we had to go out as well after the boys were in bed and due to Koen's sickness he woke up while the sitter was here and was upset and she had to go in and check on him and that really freaked him out, so I had to come home early and settle him down. Anyways, I didn't want that to happen again and as a Mom, I just wanted to be here myself to make sure he was OK. I'm glad we stayed because he had a rough time falling asleep. I checked on him once, but he told me to go back downstairs. I think it would've been hard for a sitter to listen to all his moaning and discomfort though.

So, the Ammiratis came over and we got pizza and played Rook and were closing up shop around 10pm. Sometimes staying at home is even better than going out.

Poor Koen

Koen has not been having an easy time with this virus his system is fighting. Yesterday afternoon his fever got to 103 when he was on Tylenol. Thankfully, we have great friends that are pediatricians and I was able to call them and be assured he was safe. Thanks Elizabeth nad Megan! These friends are so nice not to mind my texts and calls in these situations. We've just been so blessed with very little illness with Koen, that I don't really know what to do when we experience something new like this.

Today Koen's fever seems to have toned down, but he is just not himself. Lethargic, tired, overly sensitive. Doug went in late to work and so after I laid Tavin down I took Koen on a walk. He brought his teddy and just chilled out in the carriage for an hour. I think we both benefited from getting out of our 4 walls.

Koen went down early for his nap around 1:30pm. Unfortunately, he woke up about an hour and 15 mins. later crying for me. He must be disoriented. I think he is hungry too. Not to mention the icky, runny nose that is developing. Poor thing. We are in the living room again watching "Bob the Builder." I'm so glad his favorite show is something so low-key and not super annoying.

Keep us in your prayers. This sick kid thing gets old fast for all of us. I'm also praying that Tavin won't develop this virus, especially the fever.

Tavin Tries Oatmeal!

Tavin tried Earth's Best Whole Grain Oatmeal for the first time today. As you can see from the excited picture above, he was enthusiastic and loved it!

Enjoy the video!

You Know Your Child is Sick When...

I had to go in and wake Koen up at 10am this morning! I figured if he was sleeping in that late, that I would most likely find him fighting something. I was right. For the first time in 3 years, he woke up with a fever. Poor thing. He kept trying to play and would look at me and say, "I'm not feeling too well, I think I'll take a little rest."

Koen spent part of the morning watching "Bob the Builder." Tavin was napping, so I actually got a lot done in preparation for dinner plans we have this evening (check out my roses arrangements from my own backyard!). Tavin slept for 2 and 1/2 hours this morning. I really hope it doesn't mean he is fighting something off too.

We had to miss playgroup today. It's a gorgeous day here, so I think I was more bummed than anyone in the household, but we had lunch on the front porch to make up for it. Koen seemed to have more energy at that point in the day and enjoyed the fresh air.
Next we played in the playroom and as we were up there, Koen says, "I just want to go to nappers now, Mommy. I don't want to read any books, I just want to go to sleep." You can't argue that!

He fell right asleep, but an hour and a half in he woke up coughing and crying which then turned into almost a croup-like sound, but with some gagging to it. Ugh! I ran up to get him. I took his temperature again and he has a fever still despite the Tylenol he had before nap. He's now on the couch next to me yet again watching "Bob the Builder."

Tavin and I had some fun before his nap after Koen had already gone to sleep. See the pictures and video.

I can't resist - it's too cute!

Koen spent Saturday afternoon with Nate & Megan, his godparents. Megan gave me some pictures to show their time together. I had to show some of them on the blog. So cute!

By the way, I have to mention, Nate and Megan are going to be awesome parents. We made a wise choice of godparents. Koen loves you guys and we appreciate the great care and patience you take with him. Thanks for caring for him on Saturday. He had a blast!

When Koen got to the Troxells, he was already asking for a nap. Fun new thing...he had to sleep in a big bed, really big. Megan thinks he did sleep for a little while in there. But he also played much of his quiet time. I think this picture is adorable. Fres has come a long way since the early days with Koen. Looks like she is really ready to be a big sister!

A highlight of the day - a walk in the woods. Uncle Nate and Daddy have talked to Koen about camping in a tent in the backyard this summer. I'm fine with it, I just don't want to be there for the experiment. Good luck Daddy and Godfather!

I packed Koen's dinner, but look at the lovely job Aunt Megan did of setting up his dinner. She is going to be such a great Mommy! Plus, Koen loves the outdoors. Good call. =)

Afternoon Alone with My Boys

Tavin took a weird nap this morning. He woke up after about an hour of sleep and took about 20 mins. or so to calm himself down and went back to sleep until 11:30am. Yay! Koen and I had a cleaning party (yeah, that's right, he likes to clean...yay!) and then he seemed tired and asked to watch a DVD, so I let him. I got to finish my cleaning chores and got some e-mails done. When Tavin woke up, I fed him and Koen played in the playroom, then we headed off for a simple urban adventure. Of course, with 2 kids, these urban adventures get more challenging. We walked to Giant Eagle Market District and Whole Foods in the double stroller. I packed that stroller so full with groceries, I think the people at the grocery stores thought I was nuts. They should've seen me pushing it back up Friendship Ave!

Koen was a great shopper today. Whole Foods got new children's shopping carts (and more than just 2 finally!). So, Koen had a blast helping me go through the store. He says, "what else do we need?" He does a great job of just staying behind me and it was really nice to have his cart to work with in addition to the stroller, I was just worried not everything would fit in there after we paid for it all and had to get it home. Thankfully, I love efficiency, so I fit it in there really well and could've probably fit a few more items in there. Good to know for next time!

Tavin didn't really enjoy the walk, but fell asleep for a few minutes on the way home. I always feel bad for him getting dragged around. But I guess it's healthy not to have the world revolving around him, and I know what is most important, he is getting plenty of...we have so much love for him and I show it all day long. I can't help it. He is so precious!

Tavin struggled during his afternoon nap too. I was entertaining a friend for "tea" during the boys' afternoon naptime, but Tavin was upset a lot of that time. I was happy to save him from his misery eventually when it was time for him to eat again. After part of his meal he was smiling and "agooing" at me again. He is the happiest, sweetest baby ever!

After Koen woke up from his nap, we all played outside in the backyard. Koen played with his construction vehicles and Daddy's leftover sand supplies from the patio project. And Tavin and I watched. Tavin is so entertained by watching Koen. Koen stopped a few times to hand Tavin a toy...so sweet! I can't wait to see them interact when Tavin gets a little older. Koen is such a sensitive, concerned older brother at this point. I hope it lasts!

A great day overall, but we miss Grampa. Daddy has been out a lot this week too. We look forward to seeing more of him later this week and definitely look forward to our trip to NH this summer.