Colors

Peter and I were working on colors this morning:

Me: what color is McQueen?

Peter: red

Me: right! What color is Chick Hicks?

Peter: green

Me: right! What color is Sally?

Peter: blue

Me: right! What color is Doc?

Peter: blue

Me: right! What color is Ramone?

Peter: purple

Me: right! What color is the King?

Peter: blue

Me: ok, last one from the Cars movie - what color is Luigi?

Peter: yellow

Me: right! Now, something different - what color is daddy?

Peter: black?

Maybe, like Steven Colbert, Peter doesn't see color.

My little back breaker

Ever since Aaron was starting to smile, roll and sit up on his own we thought he was very advanced. He seemed like a very focused and fast learning child, so we naturally thought he would be walking before his first birthday (Peter, who isn't focused on anything for more than 10 seconds walked at 13 months).

Aaron's first birthday has come and gone. He is now a 23 pound 15 + month old baby who is breaking my back.

He has however started talking. He says "Mommy" "Daddy" "Please" "Juice" "Up" "Ball" "Duck" and more, including a variety of animal noises (including panting like a dog, which is too cute - must get that on video!)

Anyway, tonight (I am at work), Brett texted me the following: "I swear, Aaron just said "Juice Please Daddy!"

Although I was very excited to hear Aaron had his first sentence, this was my reponce: "Yeah, but did he walk over to ask?"

Fingers crossed that he has it down by Thanksgiving!

Dream a little dream

This morning as I finished drying my hair I heard Peter call over the monitor, "wake up mommy!" (he was taught to say "I am awake mommy" when he is ready to get up, but he had a new variation today).

I went to get him up and we had the following conversation about his dream last night:

Me: good morning Peter, did you sleep well last night?

Peter: yeah, I have dream.

Me: really? What did you dream about?

Peter: monkeys

Me: where were the monkeys?

Peter: in the bed!

Me: what!?! What were monkeys doing in your bed?

Peter: monkeys sing a song, mommy.

Me: really, how did the song go?

Peter: la la la la la

Me: wow, that is a great song Peter.

Peter: Peter sang a sing too mommy.

Me: oh yeah, how did Peter's song go.

Peter: la la la la la

Me: oh Peter sang the monkey song?

Peter: no mommy, Peter sang a different song. Like this la la la la la

Me: sounds like the monkey song to me.

Peter: no mommy. La la la la la

Me: whatever you say silly pants

Peter: you wear silly pants mommy. LA LA LA LA LA, right mommy?

I realize this story would have been cuter if I had it on video, but just wanted to give you a taste of life with my talking two year old.

Scroll please!

While I am attempting to catch up on my blog postings please scroll down the whole page, as some might pop up below since I worked on them at an earlier date.

Aaron still isn't walking (for those waiting on that announcement) - but he is teasing us with his skills every day.

Peter is a terrible trick-or-treater - more on that to come.

Brett and I are tired as always and trying to piece together a normal life between my 3 part time jobs, his full time job, the kids and the dog. We are looking forward to the week of Thanksgiving when we will be visiting with lots of family and taking trips to Atlanta, GA and Tunkhannock, PA.

Love you all!

Calling all NOVA moms (and dads) - Awesome consignment sale!

For all of my local moms, aunts, cousins and friends who have a need to buy kids stuff and like a good deal - the Annandale United Methodist Church Consignment Sale (located at 6935 Columbia Pike (@Gallows Road) in Annandale) is November 14 from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Most Items ½ Price @ 12:15 PM).

Brett and I went to the last one and left with a second pack-n-play, brand new (still in the box) tot basketball hoop, clothes, movies, and a new pair of shoes for Peter and I think we spent like $34 (retail the basketball hoop alone is more than that!)

Stolen from their website, here is more about what they have:

Mark your calendar for Saturday, November 14th!

Shop the Annual Fall Kid’s Stuff Consignment Sale at Annandale United Methodist Church. A portion of the proceeds from the sale benefits the Early Learning Program and Weekday Preschool of AUMC.

The sale features:

♦ Clothing from Infant to Teen Size 14 AND Maternity

♦ Costumes, Dress-Up and Holiday Clothing

♦ Children’s Sports Equipment and Uniforms

♦ Everything a New Mother Needs!

♦ Strollers, Bikes, Cribs, Changing Tables, Car Seats, Booster Seats, Toys, Dolls, Games, Puzzles, Art Supplies, Infant Slings, High Chairs, Little Tykes

♦ Books, CDs and DVDs for Children AND Adults

♦ Holiday Items

♦ Much, Much More at Incredible Prices!

WHEN: November 14th

9:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Most Items ½ Price @ 12:15 PM)

WHERE: 6935 Columbia Pike (@Gallows Road)

For more information, and if you would like to consign your gently used children’s items or to volunteer at the sale, please call the school at 703.256.110, visit the school web site at www.annandale-umc.org and click on the link for the consignment sale, or email AUMCKidsStuffSale@yahoo.com. Become a fan of the "Kids’ Stuff Consignment Sale” on Facebook or follow our blog at www.consignmentsale.wordpress.com.

Aaron gets his revenge

Peter loves to pick on his brother. Whether it is by pushing him or taking his toys; there are much more moments of bickering than hugging and playing nicely.

Well, Aaron figured out how to annoy Peter right back:

For the love of Journey and Billy Ocean

Our kids have awesome taste in music:

Jellyfish

The other night, we decided to see how much information Peter was picking up; so we asked him the following:

Me - Peter, what is Daddy's name

Peter - Brett

Me - What is Mommy's name?

Peter - Jellyfish

Needless, to say it got a quite a rise out of me. We had him saying it all night, and laughed everytime.

The following day he was still on the Jellyfish kick:

Oh, the neglect...

I have let my blog go... as you MAY have noticed.

In the past I have gone a week or two behind, but at this point I am almost 3 months behind on the goings on of the Gardner Family!

I am determined to catch up, but I literally have 50 items to post!!!

This comes due to the new and very busy schedule that we are trying to keep up with. Besides being parents, Brett and I are both working more than usual.

This month, Brett did a presentation at work which he worked many late nights getting ready for.

And I am now working at Curves and Jazzercise! Plus, my Curves position changed to Assistant Manager, so I am there more and have to cover when other people cannot.

While I work on catching up, here is a short over view of what is going on with us to tide you over:

BRETT - Brett celebrated his 29th birthday this month, and is working harder than ever at Noblis. He is now working from home on Tuesdays, which enables me to work in the afternoon/evening. He is sad to no longer be playing in a church band, but happy to have one less commitment.

JILLIAN - I have now completed 2 sprint distance triathlons, the first in September and the second in October. Working 3 days a week at Jazzercise and 3-4 days at Curves.

PETER - Just like his mom, Peter is quite a talker. He has many words in his vocabulary, and is stringing sentences together. However, he is also trouble like his mom, and is giving me a run for my money during this terrible 2s phase. His favorite things right now are Pixar Cars, Thomas the Train, and Sesame Street. He is also completely obsessed with babies (also like his mom!), but does not think Aaron is a baby. I think he believes Aaron is a wrestling partner.

AARON - Aaron is still not walking (he is 15 months), but he is really close. Maybe he is waiting for me to catch up on my blog? He does talk a lot though, says "up" "Mommy" "Daddy" "All done" "please" "Juice" and some others. He is a VERY focused child and will play with the same toy for hours. He is also very good with his fine motor skills - we recently found him stacking wine corks on top of each other. I think he did a better job that I would have!

As a family, we try to do as much as we can together since our work schedules force us to be apart a lot (the kids are almost always with one of us, but not always with both). It takes away from our social life and volunteering at church as much, but that is the best thing for the moment.

More from Gardner Headquarters to come!

Jazzercise

Back in September I got a text one morning from my friend Georgia informing me that she saw an ad in the paper for a job at Jazzercise.

The position was working child care Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 9-10am; and I could BRING MY KIDS!

I applied and interviewed and started working the first week in October. The boys and I go in 3 days a week to a big room full of toys and some big exercise balls (that the kids love playing with). If there are no kids, we are allowed to leave at 9:30am and I still get paid for the whole time.

When there are kids the parents are required to pay me $3/child in addition to the pay I get from Jazzercise. Plus I get a free membership to Jazzercise!

So, pretty much I am getting paid to run a play group for my kids 3 times a week, and have another free gym membership (in addition to my free membership at Curves).

It is awesome!

Especially now that it is getting colder and they are cooped up in the house all the time. Even when other kids don't show up sometimes I let my boys play past 9:30am before bringing them home.

If you are a stay at home mom and are looking for a way to workout with day care in the DC area, let me know!

Peter the mimick

Peter will pick up and mimick anything that I say. Brett thinks I should use this to teach him new words. However, I enjoy this more:

Hungry Monkeys

This post is really just a picture.

I found Peter's monkeys in the kitchen.

I guess Peter thought they were hungry:

Gardner Family Rules

I recently made up a little creed to say with Peter stating the house rules.

Here is how it is supposed to go:

Me - No Fighting
Peter - No Biting

Me - Big Hugs
Peter - No Drugs

Me - Say Please and Thanks and you won't get
Peter - SPANKS!

Me - Follow the Rules
Peter - Stay Cool

The only problem is this is how he does it:

Me - No Fighting
Peter - No Biting

Me - Big Hugs
Peter - No Drugs

Me - Say Please and Thanks and you won't get
Peter - No Drugs!

Me - Follow the Rules
Peter - No Drugs! NO DRUGS!!!

Then today Peter received a time out because he was not saying please, and throwing a tantrum because he wasn't getting what he asked for.

After his time out I sat down with him to talk about why he had gotten the punishment.

Me - Peter, you know the rules. You need to ask nicely, with no screaming and no crying.

Peter - and no drugs

I am hoping this is the last drug talk I have to ever have with him.

Oh, and on the topic of following rules, Peter has also started telling Aaron to "ask nicely" when Aaron (who doesn't talk much) grabs for something or asks for "juuuuce"

Sally's Birthday

The day after we got home from the beach was our summer intern, Sally's birthday. When Sally first came to live with us, I received an email from her mother letting me know that not only would Sally be turning 22 while she was with us, but that it would be her first birthday away from family. Brett and I decided that we would celebrate her birthday large to make her feel loved and thank her for her help this summer.

The birthday celebration started with lunch at Chop'T in Arlington after church. Sally loves salads, so I thought this would be a perfect choice. To make the lunch more exciting, Brett Andrews (the Head Pastor from New Life and Sally's connection to us) showed up to surprise her with his whole family.

After lunch, my mom, our friend Sarah and I took Sally to Cassiana Spa to get her first ever manicure and pedicure.

Next on the agenda was the Kennedy Center for dinner and to see Shear Madness (for a second time for Brett and I).

We grabbed dinner on the roof-top cafeteria at the Kennedy Center before the show, and got to take a few scenic pictures.

Our friend, Andy Spray, came with us; and as we guessed the show was a lot different than the first time we went.







The Day was full of firsts for Sally and we enjoyed sharing them with her!

Family Vacation to Cape May

There is one thing about my life that I really do not like - since becoming a wife and mother I don't have the time or money to visit my family as much as I used to.

Before getting married I used to visit my Aunt Marilyn and Cousin Shellie and family on a pretty regular basis.

Since having Peter, I have only been up once (other than Thanksgiving). I miss them sooo much, so I decided to ask them if they wanted to vacation together (i.e. I invited my family on their annual trip to Cape May).

I am pretty glad I did, because it was the best vacation EVER!

This was our first real vacation since becoming parents, and Peter and Aaron's first time at the beach or seeing an ocean.

Over the winter Marilyn sent Shellie and I a bunch of rental house's to select from, and we decided on Howard's End.

On Saturday July 25, we drove up to Cape May.



The trip would have been great, except the DVD player's battery died at the same time we hit beach traffic. Thank goodness for YouTube on my iPhone and snacks.

When we finally arrived, it was almost dinner time so we ordered Pizza and ate on the big front porch of the house.

After dinner we took the kids for their first taste of the beach. Aaron literally did taste the beach (a theme of him eating sand lasted all week); while Peter and I went down to put our feet in the ocean.

"WATERS ARE FUN MOMMY!" was Peter's excited remarks as we headed home that night.

Sunday July 26, we woke up and headed straight to the beach. We played in the sand and water until lunch time and headed back for food and naps.




While the kids napped Brett and I relaxed and read books.

That afternoon, we stayed in and watched Cars with the kids and hung around the house.



Monday July 27, it was back to the beach in the morning until we had to go back again for lunch and naps.

During his nap that day Peter learned how to climb out of his portable crib and then proceeded to unpack all of our suit cases, throwing the contents into Aaron's crib. We learned about this when my cousin Erin walked by the kids room and said they were laughing.






Apparently, Aaron thought the Peter show was hysterical. To be honest we did too.

After the failed nap, we took Erin and our boys to rent a surrey bike ride; but about 20 minutes into the ride it started pouring rain. We peddled to the house and dropped off the kids and then Brett and I biked back to the rental office to return the bike. We were soaked to the bone when we got home.

After storm we walked to the Washington Street Mall and walked around a little. A giant (creepy) Elmo was there and we got ice cream with Marilyn, Sammy and Erin.

After, Brett and I took a walk to show Peter the Fire Station.







Tuesday July 28, we kept with the tradition of heading to the beach for the morning.


After the kids got up from their naps we went shopping for gifts to bring home.


Peter didn't like shopping much, so Brett was nice enough to watch him:



That night we took a horse and carriage ride with Marilyn, and my cousin's Hannah and Courtney.




Wednesday July 29, we got up early and tried to rent the surry bike again; but this time we quit because the kids were both throwing fits.



So, we were back to the beach!

That afternoon we took the boys on a Kid's trolley ride of Cape May. Peter made sure everyone knew that the trolley says "ding ding!" But got in a little trouble for sticking his head out the window to see the wheels during our tour. Somehow, I don't think this is the last time my kid will get in trouble during a guided tour.


After the trolley ride we walked to a house that we were told was the house used to design the real Barbie dream house. I have decided that Brett needs to buy it for me, but he hasn't agreed yet.


That night Brett took the Hannah, Sammy, Courtney and Erin to see the Ice Age movie.

Thursday July 30, was Aaron's first birthday. He was so excited about it that he slept until 10am!

I stayed home with him, while Brett took Peter to the beach for more fun in the water and pulling his wagon all over the beach.

That evening we had a birthday celebration with spaghetti and strawberry short cake, and Aaron got to open his presents (which Peter then played with).





After our celebration, we took the boys to the beach to fly our new kite, then headed up to the board walk to an arcade before calling it a night.







Friday July 31, Brett got up and took Peter and Sammy to the zoo. Brett was really impressed with the zoo and Sammy and Peter had a good time.





Aaron and I hung out at the house, and I reluctantly packed for the sad departure that was coming the next day.

Shellie and I took Marilyn out in the evening for dinner at Trish's Fine Dining to thank her for treating us to a wonderful week at the beach.

Saturday August 1, the kids woke up late, so Brett and I had lots of time to pack up the car, clean the house and take photos of the house.






The drive home was better than the drive there as far as traffic goes, but we were very sad to be leaving.

Cape May, NJ is now my favorite place (with Hershey, PA being a close second).

THANK YOU MARILYN FOR OUR BEST VACATION EVER!!!

Bubbs' Birthday Cruise

And for the final July birthday post -

For her birthday this year, my best friend Alex (other wise known as "Bubbs") wanted to celebrate on the Spirit of Washington Dinner Cruise Ship.

We were on board (pun intended), along with her former roomate, Danielle.

The dinner was a buffet with somewhat cheesy entertainment in the dining room. The food was surprisingly good for cruise/buffet, and we loved our singing waiter.

After our meal we headed up to the top deck to watch the sites as we floated by and have after dinner drinks.

It was a very unique and fun way to celebrate Bubbs 28th!

Alan's FROLF Birthday Celebration

For our friend Alan's birthday, a few friends got together to play FROLF.

FROLF = frisbee golf and was a new game to all of us except Brett (who was an expert).

Alan, his girlfriend (now fiance) Jacqui, fiends Andy and Diana, and Brett and I met at Blue Mount park in Arlington for the game.

Before we had played the first hole we knew who was going to lose - me!

This was decided after my first throw hit a tree and bounced right back to me. My level of play did not improve much after that.

Andy and Diana were tied for being almost, but not quite as bad as me; and Alan and Jacqui were both pretty good for first timers (which we equated to their height).






Brett (shocker) blew us all out of the basket (i.e. FROLF hole) and was so far ahead of us in score the whole time it wasn't even funny.

After the game we all headed to Arlington to eat a Mexican birthday feast at Rio Grande.

It was a very fun day, but I don't know if FROLF will ever be my sport.

Happy 3rd Birthday Morgan Witherspoon

Back in July, our friends Heather and Tony held a birthday party for their oldest daughter Morgan. Morgan was Peter's first friend, so eventhough I was working Brett took the kids to the party.

The kids enjoyed playing in the Witherspoon's back yard:







With Morgan's toys:


and on Morgan's pink piano:




When I got off of work I joined them just in time for cake (which Aaron smeared all over my arm).

I also got to hold the Newest Witherspoon - Chloe (who was VERY interesting to Peter and Aaron).

Hope you had a happy birthday Morgan!

Shear Madness!

One of the birthday gifts that Brett wanted to take me out for a slightly nicer date night than what we usually do.

We had always wanted to see the on going comedy, Shear Madness, at the Kennedy Center, so it seemed like the perfect plan.

The show is a murder mystery that changes on a nightly basis based on current events and the audience. There is a lot of crowd involvement, which ads to the already hilarious script and makes you feel like part of the show.

When we left, we couldn't wait to go back and see what was different the next time!

Elton Jon/Billy Joel Concert

The morning after my Skate-a-Bration, Brett and I got to enjoy my birthday gift from my mother - tickets to the Billy Joel/Elton Jon concert.

Billy Joel and Elton Jon are two of my all time favorite recording artists, so I was very excited!

My mom, her friend Nora, my sister Brett and I faced the DC traffic, and after much waiting we made it to the parking lot.


This was to be the first concert held at the new Washington Nationals stadium, which was evident by the sound system quality and traffic/parking issues; but I was so excited I didn't care.

Elton Jon, however was not as easy going with the technical problems. After his piano started malfunctioning you could see him swearing at his stage guys and eventually stormed off the stage.

Billy Joel announced that they were "haveing a real rock and roll F up" but he didn't say "F"

Billy Joel (who seemed much more willing to roll with the punches - or rock and roll F ups, as it were) did his set first, while Elton Jon's piano was being fixed.


Eventually, Elton came back (slightly more calm) did his set; followed by a set by the both of them.



Regardless of technical difficulties, traffic (it took us over an hour just to get out of the parking lot), and sound issues, I had a wonderful time. However I decided that I like Billy Joel best.

Skate-a-bration

For my birthday this year, I wanted to go back in time to my childhood and have a pizza party, followed by ice skating. Being the man that he is, Brett made it happen!

Weeks before the event Brett send out an eVite inviting our friend to my "Skate-a-bration"

The house was decorated useing the MANY hockey jersey's that we own (thanks to my father), including one on my larger-than-life card board cut out of myself standing at the door greeting our guests. Peter refered to the cut out as "big Mommy"


All of our friends showed up ready to pack on the carbs they would then burn at the ick rink. Aaron's God mother made me an awesome hockey rink cake, which was as delicious as it was cute.

After signing happy birthday and stuffing our faces with cake, we headed out to Fairfax Ice Arena.

I was really impressed with our friends. Even people who hadn't ever skated (or hadn't in their adult life), were troopers and got out there to try.



However, many of them quit early on (admittedly it does hurt your legs/feet if you are not used to it).

Once everyone was too sore to move and practically frozen, we headed mack home to open gifts.

I was totally spoiled by my amazing friends and family, and felt so blessed to have such an amazing birthday.

Cat for Adoption

My best friend Alex is being forced to give her cat, Lily, up for adoption due to her husband's sever allergies.

She posted an ad on Craig's List; but we are posting here too.

Lily is a 9 pound (full grown) gray tabby, and comes with health insurance and a love for snuggling.

If you are interested please contact Alex (703-304-7317) or me (JillianBGardner@gmail.com) for details.

Family Bike Ride

The morning after the fourth of July, Brett and I decided to attempt to use our bike trailer with the kids for the first time.

It was drizzling a little, but the kids didn't seem to mind.

Scratch that, one kid didn't mind. Peter was VERY excited about "bike with mommy."

Aaron was another story.

We decided that I would take Peter, while Brett and Aaron headed home to stay dry.

Peter and I did about 10 miles and headed back.




Hopefully Aaron will have more fun next time.

My 2 year old

After the kids have separate alone play time in the morning, we all play together reading books, singing songs, and doing puzzles.

This morning I was sitting on the couch in the kids playroom with Aaron on my lap, Peter brought me a new book to read.

After thanking Peter for bringing me a book, I asked him, "Peter, do you want to sit with Aaron and Mommy?"

His response as he climbed up on the couch next to us, but not too close, "Nope, I want to sit with Peter."

I just ignored the comment and read the book. After a while Peter realized that Aaron was getting more attention because he was sitting on my lap, so Peter walked over "hugged" Aaron and asked to, "Play with Aaron?"

Then he proceeded to pull Aaron of my lap and essentially body slam him on to the ground (don't worry - Aaron was fine - didn't even cry).

Before I could even starting to reprimand, Peter looks at me, hands out and shoulders shrugged and says, "What? He jumped."

This promises to be an interesting year of parenting.

Happy Fourth of July (2 months late)

Ever since becoming parents, Brett and I have been a little nervous about bringing the kids to watch fireworks.

It is the type of thing that the kids could either love or be terrified of, and we really didn't want to be in a packed area with a traffic jam blocking our ability to get away if it turned out that terror was the reaction.

So, we were delighted when we received an invitation to go to a party at my friend Georgia's house.

Georgia and her husband, Pete, bought there first home in March, but this would be their first big party. Georgia had the house decorated with red, white and blue; and Peter and his father manned the grill.

We showed up with the whole family (Rusty included), and had a great time with the Tahan's friends and some of Pete's family.

Peter quickly made friends with another little boy (who he was either fighting for toys with or holding hands with the whole night).


Aaron was teething, so Georgia invented a "new" teething toy, since she didn't have anything for him. He seemed to be very happy with that situation.


After stuffing our faces with kabob, hot dogs, burgers, and potato salad (Brett and I probably consumed an entire cow and chicken ourselves), it was time for the backyard fireworks display.

Pete, his uncle and his father had all bought HUGE boxes of fireworks (clearly they didn't talk to each other before hand), so we were in for a long show!


Brett and I braced ourselves, only to find that Peter and Aaron LOVE fireworks.






There were so many fireworks that we ended up taking a break for watermelon and dessert before starting the "show" back up again.

After the fireworks were over people started heading home.


Eventually, after the kids started getting sleepy on our laps, we headed home as well.

It was a really fun party, and we hope it becomes a tradition.

Face Painting

After wiffle ball and nap times on July 3rd, Brett and I left the kids with my mom so we could go to volunteer at an event in Sterling.

Restore Community Church (a new church that our friend and former New Life preacher, Ron Klabundi is planting) had a booth set up at the Sterling Fireworks. I was tasked with face painting, and Brett was responsible for talking with people about Generosity Can - a non-profit associated with the church.

Face painting quickly turned to strange body painting when one kid asked for a target on his back (we were next to a pool, so many of the boys didn't have shirts on).


The event was successful, and after we were done "working" we enjoyed the fireworks show before heading back to Annandale.

If you are interested in learning more or getting involved in Restore, please contact Ron Klabundi at ronklabunde@gmail.com.

Hide and Seek

One of Peter's favorite "games" is to hide something (or just ask about something in the room) and then "find" it.

This morning, I baked mini muffins for breakfast and as soon as I put Peter in his high chair he stuffed an entire mini-muffin into his mouth.

Without missing a beat he questioned (with a completely full mouth), "Where'd the muffin go?" with hands up and shoulders shrugged.

Two seconds later, his expression changes to excitement, as he points to his mouth (still full) and exclaimed, "Its in there!"

I plan to remind him of this when he is a teenager and thinks there is nothing to do on a rainy day. Kids can make fun out of anything, and I love that!

July 3rd Wiffle Ball Game

Since the Fourth of July fell on a Saturday this year, Friday, July 3rd was a holiday.

Brett and many of our friends had the day off work, so our friend, Ant, decided to coordinate a wiffle ball game.

Outdoor, active, game, and with friends are all of our favorite things, so we packed the kids and the dog up and headed to Blue Mount Park for the game.

Brett and I were the team captains to ensure that we would be on different teams (so we could take turns chasing the kids).

Aaron was a great cheerleader (no doubt, inherited from his mother).


And Peter ran the bases with us a couple of times.


Rusty was new to the family at the time and was a huge hit with our friends.

After the game was over, I had no idea what the score was; but we had a great time, so we both won!

Let's Talk about Sex Baby!

Brett and I have been hosting a small group for over a year now, and as our current study come to a close we have picked our next topic and new night of the week.

If any couples are interested, here is the information:

Intimacy Ignited
A small group study for couples

Time: Meeting the first and third Thursday of each month from 8:00-10:00pm

Hosted & Facilitated by: Brett and Jillian Gardner

Location: The Gardner Residence, 4544 Garbo Court, Annandale, VA

Contact: 703-941-0901 (home), 703-304-6652 (cell), JillianBGardner@gmail.com

Materials: Intimacy Ignited by: Dr. Joseph & Linda Dillow and Dr. Peter & Lorraine Pintus (can be purchased online or at most book stores)

Thursday September 17 – Group Game Night

Thursday October 8 – Lesson 1
Introduction: Sex at its Best
Chapter 1: Where Did all the Passion Go?
Chapter 2: Give Permission for Passion

Thursday October 22 – Lesson 2
Chapter 3: Sooth Insecurities
Chapter 4: Offer Sexual Refreshments

Thursday November 5 – Lesson 3
Chapter 5: Trade Sexual Compliments
Chapter 6: Catch the Little Foxes

Thursday November 19 – Lesson 4
Chapter 7: Create a Safe Place for Loving
Chapter 8: Remember your Vows

Thursday December 3 – Lesson 5
Chapter 9: Be Romantic In and Out of Bed
Chapter 10: Give Your Body as a Gift

Thursday December 17 – Lesson 6
Chapter 11: Stamp out Selfishness
Chapter 12: Be Free in your Mind

Thursday January 7 – Lesson 7
Chapter 13: Be Free to Forgive
Chapter 14: Be Free with Your Body

Thursday January 21 – Lesson 8
Chapter 15: Be Free to Be Creative
Chapter 16: Fan the Fire of Lifelong Love

Uncle Donald

Both Brett's brother and my sister life far away from us. Because of this we try to show the kids lots of pictures, have video skype phone calls, and talk about Uncle Don, Aunt Jenny and Aunt K all the time.

However, whenever there is a visit we still have a little bit of re-introductions that we need to make to remind the kids who their Aunts and Uncle are.

This past weekend, Brett's brother and our sister-in-law were visiting, and the for the first time Peter actually said their names and really warmed up to Don especially (this might have had to do with a bond over shared boo boos on their knees).

Don and Jen left on Sunday and Peter told me they were at work the following 2 mornings (he thinks anyone that isn't at our house MUST be at work). But by Wednesday they were out of sight, out of mind... or so I thought.

During our music and story time this morning I was asking him what songs he wanted to sing. After we went through "the bus" and "the choo choo song" he asked if we could sing "Uncle Donald"

I had no idea what he meant, until he started singing...

"Uncle Donald had a farm. E-I-E-I-OOOOO!!!"

Naughty Baby X 2

I have written before about Peter getting into the cat food when he was a year old.

I have also written about Aaron doing the same thing with the dog food this year.

Now, I am writing to tell you where Aaron learned this behavior:






Rusty's expression cracks me up.

And by the way - this is proof that I don't even have time to go to the bathroom without my children getting into trouble!

Sesame Street

My kids don't watch a lot of TV - usually only 30 minutes a day. But those 30 minutes are their favorite part of the day.

We always watch Sesame Street after our walk in the early afternoon (before lunch), and each day as I walk back to the house Peter starts asking, "Sesame please Mommy."

Here is our favorite Sesame song:

Bubbles!!!

More pictures from the bath!

Peter absolutely LOVES to have bubbles in the bath, so we appease his request most of the time.

Enjoy!

Puppy Prozak?

Our dog, Rusty is perfect... except for one thing - he has sever separation anxiety.

We were told he was crate trained, but would come home to this when we left him alone in his crate:


And what we can't show in the picture, is that he would also pee in the crate.

After seeking many fellow dog owner and lover's advice we decided to look into puppy Prozak. He has been on it for a little over a month and it has done wonders.

Now when we leave Rusty is allowed to roam free in the house and does not mess anything up; and he sleeps in his crate with no complaints.

Very happy to have a happy dog!

NOVA Rap Battle

A few months ago someone forwarded me the following rap about Arlington.



Fairfax came back in response.



Brett and I have lived in both Arlington and Fairfax, so we love them both.

By the way - 1/2 of the Korean restaurants from the Fairfax rap are within walking distance of my house - more proof that we really live in Korea.

Time for your close up...

Brett sent me the following email today:

Subject: Forgot this one

Just reading the blog and forgot that I had one more photo! Thank you for being so amazing and documenting the family. I love you so much. Hubbs



Hope you enjoy those chubby cheeks as much as we do!

The new patio in full effect

More pictures of the kids playing. This time on our newest home improvement - the patio!

Playing in the pool of balls:

The sandbox:

Coloring with chalk:

Rusty enjoying the nice weather:

And every once in a while; Aaron throwing a fit:

Hope you are having lots of summer fun too!

My Sister's Keeper

As soon as the movie "My Sister's Keeper" came out, I wanted to see it.

I had read the book 2 years ago and loved it, so I emailed my girl friends to see who was interested.

Alex, Sarah and Sally were all on board, so we decided to have dinner at Aladdin's Eatery in Ballston first and then hit the movie.

We completely stuffed ourselves with salads and hummus and then decided to make up for our low calorie meal with huge desserts (Sarah's was slightly small then the one Alex and I shared)!


Next stop was Ballston Mall for the movie. I brought an entire box of tissues, knowing we would need them and boy was I right! We sobbed through the entire movie!

It was nice having a good cry and fun to spend time with the girls.

Safety First...

I brought Rusty in the car with me the other day, but left the kids at home.

This is where he wanted to sit:

Fun Day at the Pool

Not much text needed for this post. Just another fun day at the pool with all 3 of my boys.





And a silly video of Peter's favorite pool activity:

Mason District Park Day

On June 27, Brett and I decided to organize some of our friend's for a free kids show, picnic and hike at Mason District Park (my FAVORITE Annandale park!).

The park has an "Arts in the Park" kids show every Saturday at 10:30am, and was featuring Rocknocerous that week.

Our friends Tony and Heather came with their two daughters, Morgan and Chloe for the show.

Morgan and Peter ended up spending most of their time walking around holding hands, but the younger kids watched the music (or sat quietly because they were being fed).





After the concert, we moved the party to a picnic area near the play ground to meet up with friends who were coming without kids.

Everyone brought something to share with the group, so we had a full spread ranging from lunch meat, to fried chicken, to watermelon and veggies.






We spent the next 2 hours stuffing our faces, playing with the dogs, and chasing all the kids before most of the group headed home.



Our friends Alan and Jaquie stuck around to go for a hike, so we packed the kids in a stroller and back pack and took the "Nature Walk" trail around the park before calling it a day.

It was really fun to get our friends together and look forward to more impromptu events like this!

Free Date Night

Brett and I try to take full advantage of the many free tourist and community things that there are in DC and Northern Virginia. One of the best things in the summer is the many free concerts around the area. The last weekend of June, Brett and I had a date scheduled and decided to try out the concert series in Herndon - Friday Night Live!

The traffic was bad as a storm threatened to blow through Northern Virginia, so it took a while to get to the show. Thankfully, my husband is very entertaining:



When we finally got to Herndon, Love Seed Mama Jump was playing cover songs and some of their own music.

We had brought a picnic dinner, so we ate during the first set, and then packed up our blanket so we could dance for the second set.

Besides the cost of gas and groceries for the dinner; the evening was completely free and so much fun! We plan on heading back again this Friday to see Gonzo's Nose!

Rollie Pollie

The following picture was sent to me the other day when I was working at Curves. It was too cute to keep to myself.


Many thanks to my amazing husband for taking such good care of our babies and capturing these special moments while I am working!

If you're happy and you know it...

Another peek into our life.

Here is an example of the kids during lunch:

(My apologies for my not so amazing singing voice)

No more monkeys jumping on the bed!

Peter loves monkeys, so naturally he loves the monkeys jumping on the bed song.

Here is a typical bedtime evening for the Gardner family:

Man Shoes

Peter is old enough now that he is requests clothes and shoes to wear in the morning.

The other day he was asking to wear his "Man Shoes"

I had no idea what he was talking about. He and Aaron have one pair of matching shoes that he calls "Aaron Shoes," he calls his crocks by their brand, calls his Speedo shoes, water shoes; but I had never heard him say "Man Shoes"

After many attempts to put on shoes that looked like Brett's shoes (thinking he was trying to look like a man - like daddy); I finally gave up and showed Peter all the shoes so he could pick up the "man shoes" with his hands.

I should have guessed:

Creative use of bowl

More silly videos from the Gardner family:

BeVard Laugh

My family is known for their belly laughs.

Aaron might not have as many of my physical features, but he definitely has the laugh down!

An Apple a Day!

Peter is a fan of Apples:

Tupperware Party 2009

Seriously, my children couldn't be more different.

Peter has slept through the night since he was 8 weeks old, and never wakes up; Aaron slept through the night at 6 weeks, but "forgets" how to sleep through the night at least 1 night every couple weeks.

Peter is tall and skinny; Aaron is tall and chubby (they are almost the same size now)!

Peter is a screamer, Aaron is quiet.

Peter likes to play with a toy for 5 minutes and then move on to something else; Aaron will focus on 1 toy for an hour.

However, regardless of their differences, I seem to take the same photos of them during the stages of their lives.




Click here to see Peter's Tupperware Party last year!