Siblings

Are you ready for some Football??

Football season has officially started and thankfully the drought has somewhat ended here in Shanghai.  In the past year, there have become more options for us to watch both NFL and college games, some even live.  Technology, Doug's best friend.  So, Doug is officially a happier person now and has a little buddy for all the games.  

Our stats man, Eric, can tell you who the Packers are playing in which week and what the scores of all the games have been to date.  He changes into his Packer uniform every day, helmet and all, and has games with himself and his imaginary teammates in our living room.  (The Packers always win of course, even though the Bears have come close a few times!)  He comes home from school on game days and his first question is "What was the score of the game?"  Even Sophia is asking about the Packers.  I think it is safe to say they have officially been brainwashed.  But Doug says he is ok with that since he was also brainwashed at a very early age.  We just need to work those Hokies in there a bit too...

Here are a few videos of the kids practicing their skills with Daddy.  Not sure if Doug is being completely fair here, but it has good entertainment value!

You know your child is spoiled when....

Yes, that is a "Babychino"

Peer Pressure

Whoever said boys are harder than girls didn't have a clue...

H is for Hockey

Photo Shoot

Eric has been sneaking the camera off the counter and taking pictures. Up until this shoot, he has specialized in taking pictures of the inside of the garbage can. Apparently, it is hard to get the trash to say cheese so he has started practicing on his sister. As you can see, she loves it. And Eric sure has a talent for capturing the true lovable Pia!

Signs of Summer!

Irony

Yes, that is a toothbrush in Pia's mouth and a lollipop in Eric's. I think I may have to send this to the American Dental Association!

Peek-a-boo!

Good, Good Night!

Lessons

We thought we were being smart by buying a "backup Monkey" after we discovered how attached Eric was with it. This is the monkey he sleeps with every night. I went to the same store I originally bought it at, bought the same brand, and ended up with what I thought was a true "backup Monkey". I have even been washing him to ensure that he has that same worn feel.

Well...the lesson I learned this week was to pay more attention to detail because let me tell you, your kids will notice EVERYTHING! I tried to pull one over on Eric this week and swap out primary monkey with backup monkey so primary monkey could go in the laundry. I handed him backup monkey, he took 2 seconds to thoroughly study his face, and then handed him back to me on the verge of a tantrum saying, "I don't want backup Monkey. I want other monkey." Seriously??? Initially I tried to deny it, but quickly saw that he was serious and had truly figured it out. Defeated. So, now backup monkey has transformed into "School Monkey" and will be riding first class in Eric's backpack to his new school on Monday.

Now we just have to pray that primary monkey never decides to leave us or we could be in big trouble.

The plan for Pia's lion?? I will be studying every square inch before purchasing "backup lion"! And the funny thing is...I am sure she would never even notice. ;O)

Where did our baby go???

Real Ice!

After months of practicing his skating with his socks on our floors, Eric finally had the opportunity to try it out on real ice. He did awesome! I think all his practicing paid off. He took a number of spills, but was eager to get back up and keep trying. We are curious to see how sore he will be this morning when he gets up.

Either way...I think we have found our new Sunday afternoon activity....at least until Hockey practice starts. ;O)

All Smiles

It only took about 30 shots to get this one. Thank goodness for digital cameras!

Show me the Money!

Last weekend we took Eric and Sophia to their first hockey game..the Elmira Jackels! (They are a minor league team the next town over.) Except for the scary frankenstein guy at the front door, we had a blast. Eric kept yelling "Yes!...Fall Down!" over and over. It was alot of fun.

The next day, Eric insisted that the Jackels were calling on his phone in his playroom and that they want him to be the goalie for the team. Luckily he got some good advice from his grandparents. Now he is telling the Jackels when they call to "Show me the money!"

Pia getting the play-by-plays from Daddy

Someone must have fell down!

This is my favorite picture. Look at that clown in the background!

The Kids at Play

Eric loves having Pia in his crib and is one of the only places he is gentle with her.

Eternally happy...

This clown reminds me so much of his Uncle Nate. They both keep us laughing!

And our toothy grin! (The first two are FINALLY in! and we are sleeping again. Yahoo!)

Rollin', rollin', rollin'....

Pia is now a rolling maniac and won't stay on her back anymore. Personally, I think she is trying to build up some muscles to protect herself against her brother. If only we could keep her from rolling over at 2AM!

Lesson Learned? Bring backup!

Looking back at recent pictures, I couldn't believe that I had forgotten to post these. Eric, Sophia, and I made our first trip up to Rochester a few weeks ago for a Dr. appointment (to check the mole on Eric's bumm..everything is fine.) I decided to make a day out of it since it takes almost 2 hours to get there and didn't want to turn right around for 2 hour ride back. So, after the appointment, we headed to Rochester's Strong Children's Museum.

That was where I made my fatal error...

This was the BEST museum we have ever been to, hands down. So, you may be wondering why this was a fatal error. Well, I was by myself with both kids and Eric was so excited that he didn't want to eat, let me feed Sophia, and God forbid...leave (after 3 hours). So, I was THAT mom that had to haul her kid over her shoulder kicking and screaming while trying to not dump Sophia out of the stroller. But as you can see from the pictures, it was worth it. We will definitely go back...just with help next time. ;O)

We spent ALOT of time in this cab driving Cookie and Elmo around.
Eric kept looking in the back seat like he was wondering if they were REALLY there!

Is it any surprise that the frozen foods section (ok...the ice cream section!)

was the most visited?