So, it’s been a summer.

I very much unintentionally took an entire summer off from blogging.  That’s kind of a long fucking time.  But I suppose, in some way, it’s what I needed I guess.  Or it’s just the ultimate example of my crappy time management skills.  But I digress.

So we had a summer, a long short summer of learning. 

We learned PX's preferred learning style, which is no nonsense & involves lots of PECS.  We learned that both kids are basically living examples of "If you give a mouse a cookie..." in terms of learning and discipline.  "Alright, you can have your snack on the couch."  *two minutes later*  "ARE YOU TRYING TO PLAY HASEL AND GRETEL?!  This must be the start of the rebellion."
We learned Rizzle probably has a muppet & puppet fetish, BUT the amount of sign language and basic words she's picking up from all her furry favorites give it a plus side.  I kind of figured her love of Elmo and Jason Segel would eventually boil over.  Time to introduce Miss Piggy!

I learned I can never have too many calendars.  NEVER.  And Post-Its and white boards.  Notes, yo, they (kinda) work.
I learned that at some point PX will probably be paying me for the pleasure of doing the dishes.  This day honestly cannot come soon enough, as dishes are the bane of my existence.  That, and laundry.
We learned, to even the kids' surprise, they are duck whisperers.  Yes, duck.  I'm surprised we were able to leave the zoo without a few stashing themselves away in the stroller. 

I can't explain why that's invaluable, but it just friggen is.  I'll explain more at another time, because it's just too much for this.
But now summer is over.  We've moved into a new, bigger place and it's time to settle in to our routines and get back to normal.  Well, our normal.

My Poor, Neglected Blog

I take a little mini-vacation sotospeak and my poor blog collects dust.

So much is going on around here, and unfortunately not much of it is fun and noteworthy.  It’s hit that point in summer where I look around and realize I am very much behind in life but have little motivation to catch up.  Perhaps after Daddy Drax’s birthday next week things will return to some sort of normality.

But for now, I’ll just include a visual representation of my birthday events and my mini-vacay.

Back to the Same Old, Same Old

 

Coming off two straight days of having Daddy Drax around the clock, the kiddos are fairly miserable especially PX.  Daddy is back to work for the next five days, a good 14 (or more occasionally) hours a day, and I need to come up with some ways to distract my little ones.  PX has always taken it hard; last summer when  DD had the same schedule, I’d have to use one of Daddy’s smelly old shirts for PX’s blanket or as a slipcover for his chair to keep him from getting upset.  At least Raven is a little more go with the flow and really only gets bothered when her brother is out of eye sight. 

 

But we were able to have some post-holiday fun as a family.  Walks, shopping, visits with friends, a BBQ, and a dinner out.  PX was finally able to get his hands on something he just loves to stare at from afar: a bicycle.  He wasn’t even out of the stroller before his little paws were all over it.  Guess it’s time to paroose craigslist for a toddler bike.

 

“You guys got nothing to worry about, I saw this on Curious George.  That makes me a qualified bike inspector.”

 

“Everything seems to be in working order but you’ll need to hand it over to me.  Why you ask?  Because I’m the bike inspector!  Respect my authority!”

 

 

Anywho, I’ve begun Phoenix’s immersion in the arts.  He now has full access to my camera (as long as it’s not being used as a chew toy) and is being introduced to writing implements.  He seems to prefer pens and pencils to chalk.  Once I find my crayon stash, it’ll be artwork on the walls time.  I’m not kidding.

The Impromptu Nature Walk

I originally set out today with the intention of going to a carnival held at one of the parks in my town, complete with live music.  Where I ended up was on a nature walk with the kiddos that ended in some fun at the playground for PX while Rizzle napped.