Meeska, Mooska, Mickey Mouse!

Kyle and the boys recently accompanied me on a business trip. I'd like to say that it's because they miss me when I'm gone, but they tagged along since the hotel I was staying at was across the street from Disneyland. While I spent most of my time at a convention center, the boys soaked up the California sun.

We were able to spend a day at Disney as a family and it was fabulous. John Ross and I rode about every ride we could possibly go on. We got to visit Disney's playhouse where all the boys' favorites were - Mickey and the gang, Handy Manny, the Little Einsteins and Tigger & Pooh. The highlight for John Ross was meeting Goofy and playing at his house. Judd lit up like a Christmas tree when he got to see Mickey Mouse up close. He was truly amazed... after all, Mickey has been in his vocabulary for most of his short life.

Disneyland is truly a magical place and I feel fortunate that the boys got to experience it. They are young, but we took lots of pictures hoping that they will trigger memories as they get older.

Help! Who is this boy?

And where did he come from?! Do not get me wrong, I absolutely adore John Ross and he's definitely a Mama's Boy, but some days I do not know where the child came from! He is Mr. Attitude and likes to dictate who does what, when and where they do it. This applies to everyone in our house, including the dogs. I had been warned that 3-year-olds are opinionated, but didn't realize that the person who coined "terrible twos" had clearly never met a 3-year-old.

Any advice? I have a feeling that many parents have or are going through this and I'm worried that the advice is going to be "ride it out"... I just hope this ride isn't long!

On a bright note, John Ross was recently discharged from his speech therapy. He made leaps and bounds with his progress and is able to express himself more clearly. We are thrilled with his growth even if it has enhanced his new found sassiness.

Bye, Bye Binky!

We are on day 5 without a pacifier! Judd was still using his pacifier for naps and bedtime and we had been debating when it was time to pull the plug. After receiving a pep talk from our pediatrician on Friday, I was inspired to begin the battle. So Friday night we hid all of the pacifiers and crossed our fingers. Surprisingly it turns out that he wasn't as dependent on it as I thought (or as dependent as I was)! He has a very loved "lovey" that he is using as his crutch. It's just enough to keep him content. While he did fuss in protest at the beginning, he is doing great and I believe he is a fully-recovered paci addict... five days and counting.

I love you, you know