Too Cool

Just working on our summer looks!

Look Out Fish...

here come the Petersons! Last weekend we paid a visit to the aquarium - a definite family favorite! Both kids are equally mesmerized by the fish and the kid-friendly surroundings. I am always amazed that regardless the number of enthusiastic little people running, jumping, and squealing throughout the aquarium, the tranquility of the place seems unscathed. Too bad it doesn't have a calming effect on my kiddos. I just have to wonder if the fish are completely exhausted at the end of each day; my two little ones sure were!

WOW!

Look Dad!

simply amazing!

What big teeth he has!

Which way did that bird go?

A turtle just my size!

Do we really have to share the frog?

What fun!

Happy Easter

Strike a pose!?

Time for a game before church?

This is the only time they were still enough for pics that morning!

Easter Fun

Saturday we went to church for an Easter egg hunt and other fun activities. We decorated a few crafts before heading to the playground to find the eggs. Hunter is now a professional at egg hunts while Hannah is still trying to decide why everyone thinks this is so much fun - maybe next year!

Hannah's foam egg

Hunter stamping his latest creation

Hannah's first egg of the day


Realize that the folded hands come with a very firm "NO!" in response to the second egg of the day.

While Hannah was pouting, Hunter was on a roll!! Surely there is room for just one more egg!

Hannah's rejuvenated interest in egg hunting. She only found 8 eggs, but she and Dad found the golden egg with a special prize. Give the girl a high five!!

Oh no! The egg broke! Luckily, they go back together just as easily but broken hearts don't mend quite so quickly!

The happier side of life - we pretty much covered all the emotions that morning!

Happy Easter from Hunter

Hunter made the card in preschool this week. He couldn't wait to show me the picture of him holding a bunny rabbit. He is now convinced the rabbit likes him and he needs a rabbit. Sadly enough, I don't see that happening anytime soon. Happy Easter anyway!

An Easter Party

Somehow I agreed to host a MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) and Tots (the preschoolers) Easter party. Our group has almost 30 moms and 50 kids on the roster, but rarely do that many MOPS and tots attend meetings. Actually, very few mops and tots generally participate in these events. So - in my defense - it sounded like a typical playdate plus a few kids. After all, another mom was in charge of planning the activities, snacks, etc; she just needed a house for the party - simple enough!

By Sunday, 18 kids had rsvp'd yes with an additional three maybe responses. Still, I am thinking no big deal; the weather is great; we'll just hide eggs outside and play for a little while. Then came Tuesday night's thunderstorms followed by a cold front; there goes the outside egg hunt and playtime. Now to figure out how to accommodate everyone inside the house.

Only 17 kids actually attended, and we managed perfectly well! The entire party was quite a success. I might even consider doing it again!

We hunted for Easter eggs.

Hannah found her ONE egg and promptly ended her hunt.

We snacked...

decorated cookies and snacked some more...

dyed some eggs...

and attempted - somewhat unsuccesfully - to take a group picture. (Naturally, Hannah wanted no part of that experience. She did well simply tolerating a houseful of children playing with her things :)

The Security Conundrum

The concept of security comforts me and provides me with a sense of safety, though sometimes false. Whether it is our troops protecting me as I go about my daily life or the security guard at Target keeping a watchful eye for potential trouble, I appreciate that someone is there providing me with that sense of safety and security. I've never really thought twice about seeing security personnel anywhere, until yesterday.

Yet again, we found ourselves at the pediatrician's office yesterday afternoon (it's a long story but the summary is something like this: Hannah, ears, fluid, new meds). I signed in as we always do; we went to our usual spot to wait for our turn (realize we've been there 13 times since Dec. 13; roughly once a week - this has become part of our routine), and I noticed a guy wearing a security uniform. My first thought, "He must be here with his son/daughter." I quickly learned otherwise. Someone walked in carrying a Wendy's drink; he asked the boy to throw it away. A woman answered her cell phone in the waiting room; he asked her to step outside or end the call, referencing a sign hanging on the wall. When the seats were filling up, he asked people to rearrange to accomodate new arrivals. Clearly he is here for a reason other than a pediatric appointment.

My mind starts wandering through all the possible scenarios that could have warranted the addition of a security guard; let's just say sometimes my imagination can get the best of me. We were just there last Wednesday, so this is a very new concept. We were seeing a doc that we had never seen before, so I didn't feel like I could just ask him what's up with the new security out there. Instead, I asked one of the office workers what was going on. She didn't elaborate. Her only comment was "You wouldn't believe; it's crazy!" Comforting? - not really!

How did we get to this point in life? I understand the need for security; I welcome security on campus, at the bank, in the mall, at special events, even on base. But seriously, security at the pediatrician's office? Is this to be our new norm? Though the kids don't understand the implications, how sad for them to have to grow up in a time and place when you can't even go doctor without concern. I am thankful that the pediatrician's office recognized a need and implemented safety measures to protect the precious young lives they service - whatever the underlying reason; however, I am left feeling sadly disenchanted with our current surroundings and my own naivete´, hence the security conundrum.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

We love you!

"Meow" is my best bud. (Too bad the feelings are not mutual!)

Look what Hunter made at church! Yes, I made one too, but his is far more interesting. Perhaps it's the controversy of hers vs. his that she likes the most.

Hannah's Recovery

Yesterday went pretty much as expected. Hannah woke asking for food and was grumpy to learn she couldn't have any. I tried explaining it to her but it's a little hard when she's only 20 months old. She would tell me "okay" and then immediately ask for a snack.

We arrived at the surgery center at 7:00 a.m., but she didn't actually go into surgery until 8:10. She was back in about 15 minutes and we were home by 9:15. She woke from the anesthesia crying for Bubby (Hunter), but she went back to sleep in her carseat and was absolutely delighted at the sight of food once we got home. She clinged to my shoulder a little more than normal, but she took her usual nap and slept soundly last night.

Hopefully this is a turning point for Hannah - only time will tell!

Watching a Sesame Street video clip on the computer.

Notice she's not chewing on rabbit, she's smelling him. It's the strangest thing!

Peterson Town Center

We've been searching for a gently-used playhouse for the kids since last summer; such things do not exist around here. We've tried ebay, Craig's List, classifieds, garage sales - nothing! We saw this week's Toys R Us flyer with the new Little Tikes Town Center on sale and knew it was time to invest.

Little did we realize, we didn't need to buy the whole playhouse; we only needed the box! Silly Parents!!

After Hannah's pre-op on Monday, we stopped by the store for our big purchase. While the kids were napping, I slid the massive box out of the truck and left it in the garage. Pete called to see if we were able to get the playhouse; he jokingly (at least according to him) suggested that the kids and I put it together after naps. The more I thought about it, the more determined I was to put it together. I unpacked everything from the box, and when the kids woke up, we carried the pieces to the backyard and got to work!

First, the kids showed me how to set up the playhouse and how to use the new tools - the house came with a screwdriver and hammer.

Hannah didn't care that it wasn't put together; a girl can play peek-a-boo anywhere!

I was making great progress and the kids APPEARED to be playing so well; that's when I realized I was missing a few necessary pieces. I looked but to no avail. Finally I asked Hunter if he had seen them. Yes, he saw them all right; "They're right here, Mommom" (right here meaning inside the wall where he is so sweetly playing). Okay, how do I get those out? Not sure, I'll just worry about it later.

Right about the time I had done all I could without the missing pieces, Pete came home from work. He tried to get them but no luck. We tried several different strategies, still nothing worked. My last resort - chopsticks. (Yes, we do still eat with chopsticks on occasion.) It worked!! It may sound silly, but it was a very proud moment for me; it's the little things in life - literally!

Thanks to Matt and Sherry for the great chopstick lessons! They took us to dinner on our first night in Japan and convinced gullible, naive me that restaurants in Japan did not have forks. FYI - restaurants in Japan do have forks; you just have to ask! Who knew that lesson would pay off in such a big way several years down the road!

Now that we had all the pieces, we could finish the house. The kids couldn't wait to be able to play, and play they did - the next day. It was well after 7:00 when we finished the house, too late and too cool for little people to be outside.

Since the house has a sports wall, we are now set for basketball and soccer and hockey. It's going to be one fun summer in the Peterson backyard!

Hannah's Ears

Hannah had her pre-op appointment yesterday. She was the perfect little patient! The doctor said she still has a significant amount of fluid on her ears ( I could have told him that without even looking in her ears just because of the way she acts) but he really thinks the tubes are going to "do the trick" - let's hope so.

Hannah is to report to the surgery center at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. I was hoping for a little earlier, but it could always be later. So, no food or drink for her after midnight tonight, which means one cranky Hannah in the morning. As she wakes each morning, you can usually hear her sweet, little voice forcefully saying SNACK. I envision a very tense, heartbreaking morning for all of us, yet I'm hopeful that the hours, days, weeks, and months ahead will be considerably less painful for little Hannah.

Another Day, Another Ear Infection

Today we found ourselves back at the doctor's office; we've been there nine times since December 13 (not counting the well-check in early January for both kids). Needless to say, we are on a first name basis with the entire office staff - all of whom Hunter dearly loves and Hannah routinely snubs. (It's become a game of sorts to see who can get Hannah to respond at all; everyone is zero for nine - at least Hannah doesn't play favorites!)

Hunter finds great delight in following the blue arrows to the exam rooms and check-out counter and he adores getting a color sheet at the conclusion of each visit. Hannah could care less about blue arrows or the color sheet. Apparently for Hunter, going to the doctor is as much fun as going to the playground. He is just heartbroken when the nurse doesn't ask him to stand on the scale or the doctor ignores him in the exam room - only one doctor has done that but it left Hunter quite upset; we try to avoid seeing that doctor if at all possible!

Hannah has caught on to the reason she goes there so often; she now readily offers her ears for the doctor's viewing pleasure with a bit of smirk on her face as if to say, "Go ahead - if you must but make it snappy!" At least she's a silent protester rather than a very loud, angry protestor - we've seen lots of those in our visits too - it breaks my heart to hear them so upset.

With any luck, this latest ordeal will be over in time, or at least better enough, for the tubes next Wednesday - at least that's what our least favorite doctor told us today. Until then, we are under a mom-imposed lockdown! I'm not leaving unless it becomes absolutely necessary. I don't want to expose Hannah to anything else and I don't want Hunter to catch something and pass it on to her. I just hope and pray the tubes will make a difference in her little ears.

She fell asleep in this very spot a short time after the picture.

Blackberries are the best! That is all I have been able to get her to eat consistently in the last two days.

What a ham!

I want it! No, it's mine! The story of our life!

Roller Derby

Last week the base hosted a roller derby demonstration, which Pete thought sounded like a really cool thing. Who even knew there was such a team here?! He called the rest of our small group and almost everyone was game for this intriguing adventure.

The kids were mesmerized by the skating and loved being outside, even though the rest of us were cold. We didn't stay very long because of the temps - it was in the low 50s here - burrr!! (that really is cold for us down here!)