Back to School, Fall ... Fun?

 While it seems like ages ago, it was only one month ago that Gillian started school back at West Side.  It’s crazy what a difference a year makes (especially for Bryce)!

Gillian and Bryce are playing together more than ever before.  Here are some action shots:

In fact, we think they could be the next Jonas Brothers!

It’s hard to recall the past month, as Gillian has been back to her very early rising ways, and Chad and I aren’t firing on all cylinders. Gillian’s new favorite expression is “It’s been a long day”, picked up directly from her mother, who observes this most days at around 3pm.

Another one of Gillian’s favorite expressions is “NO! NOOOOOOO!!!!!! [Foot stomp] I DON’T WANT TO! NO!” No further discussion needed here, but child protective services has not been called and I consider this a victory.

While we may be a little foggy from the early mornings, we know we had some fun! We went to Rohsler’s with Gillian’s nursery school for a hay ride and to watch other small children torture farm animals. We picked out some pumpkins and got cold feet while waiting for the pony ride. Even our equestrian, Bryce, politely declined, “NO NO NO NEY NEY” while contorting his body to avoid sitting on the saddle.

Gillian has shifted interests back to babies, and every night, instead of a story about Princess Gillian, we now tell a story about Baby Emily, whose sole caretaker is Princess Gillian.  Let’s just say not a lot of imagination is required to tell this story. At the end of the story, Gillian informs me she wants a real baby, which I respond to via the path of least resistance (lying) with: “sure, no problem”.

Chad recently joined a men’s soccer league, which he seems to enjoy, despite the hip replacement or ACL surgery that we’re expecting imminently (Update: since starting, his attendance rate has been 40%).  Here are some highlights from his first game:

·      Everyone on the other team was 10 years younger than me

·      My ankle hurts. I think I rolled it but it might just be sore from kicking the ball.

·      I had to play goalie and some of the guys on the other team kicked so hard that I just jumped out of the way.

We’re headed to Boston this weekend, barf bags and all, to celebrate Grayson’s first birthday!  And we can’t wait to meet Ava’s new sister, due any day now!

Fall love from the Tullys!!

Bryce's Birthday Recap

Happy birthday to our sweet TWO year old baby, Bryce!

Happy Birthday to our sweet, doll baby, cuddly yum yum angel, Bryce!

Present Time!

Party Time Take 2!

Paula threw another epic party with the playdate crew. Check out these beach babes!!

August Fun: Sticks in the "yuck'!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Bryce!!

Happy Birthday, Bryce!!

We love you, little angel!!

Bryce had quite a year!

•  We figured out what he was allergic to (dairy, eggs, almonds) and watched the sensitivity of dairy and egg decline significantly (he can now tolerate baked eggs and is ready to try regular eggs, and baked milk)
• We also figured out that Bryce has been living underwater for the past year, and had tubes put in and adenoids removed. Bryce’s expressed language has improved dramatically in the span of two months since the surgery.

In honor of our buddy angel’s birthday, here are some of Bryce’s Favorite Things

• ·      Food: Cookies, Blueberries
• ·      Toys: Cars and Magna Tiles
• ·      Words: NO (or more often nonononononono)
• ·      Songs: Let it Go, Baillame, and Last Dance (yup, Drake)
• ·      Activity: Climbing on people and being (dangerously) thrown through the air
• ·      Book: Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site
• ·      Getting pushed around in the blue car
• ·      Cuddling, especially with Daddy
• ·      Yelling “waula!” 100x/day (poor Paula)
• ·      Getting Chased (often when it is preceded by “Bryce, come over here please. Bryce… Bryce!)

• 
  
• Gillian will undoubtedly help us celebrate Bryce’s birthday tomorrow by opening all of his gifts, treating them as if they are her own, and blowing out his candles (which might be in all of our best interests given the strong possibility of Bryce lighting himself on fire). She is a great big sister when she isn’t beating him over the head with matchbox cars and ripping toys out of his hands. She is at her best when she is teaching Bryce, “Brycie, say Bubble!!!! Brycie, say Auga!! Good job buddy! I’m teaching him to talk.”

Also worth noting about our amazing Gillian is that in honor of the U.S.A. dominating the pool this summer’s Olympic games, Gillian has **sort of learned to swim**! Via the magic of a woman named Margarete whose astronomical pricing for 1:1 swim instruction has sent Chad into a tailspin, Gillian has gone from not putting her head in the water to diving for rings and somehow managing to make it from one side of the pool to another while remaining afloat!  Watching Gillian learn to swim has made me realize the importance of sheer determination as a success driver. She wants to swim so badly, and works and tries so hard that it brings tears to my eyes to see her near drowning make her way from here to there and pop up one breath short of passing out, smiling from ear to ear.

Summer Updates

It's been non-stop action at the Tully house for the past few months.

Here are a few key takeaways:

1. The Great Crib Debate

After no small amount of stress, pain and suffering, we removed one side of Gillian's crib and replaced it with a side that allows her freedom to roam. Not quite a big girl bed, but we're on our way!  This decision came after weeks and months of videos like the ones featured in previous posts, that included screaming and crying (from Gillian, not just me).

2. Bryce has been living underwater

After a year of recurrent sinus issues/infections and some notable speech delay, the lightbulb finally went off that maybe Bryce couldn't hear! Turns out that our buddy's ears were full of fluid, and that his adenoids were twice their appropriate size. The culmination: Tubes In, Adenoids Out. Two weeks later, he's doing great and talking SO MUCH MORE. Below are a few action shots:

Pre-Surgery

Pre Surgery, he still thinks we are there to have fun

Chad subjected a waiting room full of people to golf

On the way home. Photo and Bryce= Blurry

3. Summer is FUN!

Summer is fun for Gillian, because she can run around with her friends, stay up late, and eat anything she wants.

Summer is fun for Bryce because he can run around without anyone bothering him, stay up late, and eat anything he wants.

Summer is fun for us because we get to watch these two little blond nugget angels have the best time ever.

From the mouths of babes:

Heard from Gillian

• We don't hit people because it's NOT NICE
• Mama: "Gillian, you already brushed your teeth in the shower, remember?" Gillian: "Absolutely not, mama, I did not brush my teeth."
• Gillian: "Mama, I have to ask you some questions" (as I'm leaving the room at bedtime). Mama: Okay Gillian, talk to me. Gillian: Okay, you can go clean the kitchen. Put on your pajamas but NO TV, you don't want to turn into a potato.

Heard from Bryce:

• Gigi! 
• Noooo
• WAULA!!!!!! (Paula). Said 100x/day, always with an exclamation point at the end.
• Wawa (water)
• Upppease! (Up Please)
• Appa (apple)
• MIMI (Finally)!

Once Upon a Time... Florida April 2016

Once upon a time, there was a family of blond people + one stray brunette (who they kept around to pack food for every waking moment and schlep other unnecessary necessities from point A to point B).

The littlest blond person liked to throw up everywhere, so he threw up on the plan on the way to Florida and on the way home.  

It was unbelievable when it happened and it's still unbelievable now, a month later.

In between these momentous flights, we had a great time on our Spring Break Trip to Florida!

Dining Al Fresco

Figuring out sand

Mimi is not a photographer

Queen of the Kingdom

A New Stephen King Novel Idea: The Butterflies

The Butterfly Exhibit

On Monday, we decided to meet some of my friends at the local mall (not to shop, as would be my dream) but to visit a local "butterfly exhibit".

World's Worst Picture of Butterfly "Exhibit"

What you can't see from the outside of this sophisticated installation is that the tent is actually full of ... you guessed it... insects with big wings called butterflies!!!

After we paid our $15 to get in, I told Gillian that she could feed the butterflies with the q-tip full of red gunk that we were handed by a woman who also told us not to step on the butterflies. It was a horrible warning that almost became a reality as Bryce bombed around that tent eating pretzels while butterflies latched onto his shoes.  Not kidding, ask Gillian, she is still talking about it 3 days later.

There are no pictures from inside the tent because it was like a scene from the Stephen King novel, Birds. The butterflies hung with their gross insect legs from the top and sides of the tent, and a few unlucky (or smart) butterflies laid on the ground, hoping that someone would end their lifetime stay at Butterfly Guantanamo.

While I tried to conceal my panic that we were in an oversize fly trap, Gillian stared in horror at the butterflies flapping around. A woman about my age started ducking and screaming as she was being attacked by a lone angry butterfly.  This tent was very small and there was limited space for an adult to carry on like this. Simultaneously, Bryce came dangerously close to murdering a butterfly, and Gillian burst into tears and started yelling, "take me out, take me out". I had one of these little bugs glued to my q-tip, which I dropped and ran without looking back. I may have also screamed a little.

Bryce seemed unaware that anything weird had happened. He continued to eat his pretzels and didn't express any interest when my friend, Lisa, (who also dragged her son to butterfly hell for 30 seconds) took the kids on a large, motorized animal ride around the mall.

  After the animal ride, we blew out of that mall as fast we blew out of that butterfly tent. Bryce's goodwill ended when his pretzels ran out and Gillian's lasted only moments longer, after she saw Wetzel's Pretzels and asked me for them 10x before dissolving into tears (10 seconds after this photo was taken).

When we arrived home, we discovered that a very large tree was being removed across the street. We sat outside and watched as they cut down the tree, branch by branch. Thankfully, we didn't see any stray butterflies!

Bedtime with Gillian: Still not on the Other Side

First, some pics of the little monkeys:

Bedtime Attire: we're getting our moneys worth out of that free orange shirt

Kids on a picnic with Paula and their munchkin friends. 

Devouring Coconut (Dairy Free) Chocolate Popsicles (they were in heaven)!

Back to Bedtime:

About six months ago, I shared with our dear and limited readership that our biggest bedtime complaint with Gillian was regarding time investment (large) required to "put Gillian to bed".  

While there was a 10 step program just to get out of the room "way back when", it pales in comparison to the mental breakdown (Gillian's) and personal angst (mine) that follows the click of Gillian's door closing after we say goodnight.

Almost every night for the past few months, Chad and I have been treated to the bloodcurdling screams of a three year old maniac, trapped like a rat (thank god) in her crib, making a wide array of demands. They include (but aren't limited to):

• I want a tissue!
• I have to go pee pee in the potty!
• I want a hug!*
• I want the princess book
• I want my agua!
• I want to see the moon!
• Take the tape out of my room! (I left scotch tape on her dresser, ten feet from her crib, invisible to the naked eye, and she wanted it gone).

For your viewing pleasure and to share with you a small sample of the peace that Chad and I get to enjoy each and every evening, below are some of Gillian's finest moments. See if you can translate her screams into one of the demands above (just like a NYT crossword puzzle)!

Footnote on Hug Request

*recently, we lied to Gillian and told her that we weren't going to dinner (despite her noticing that we weren't in our pajamas at 7pm and asking if we were going out). We left her with one of Paula's friend's, Lucelly, who Gillian knows but would certainly find surprising to see in her room at 9pm. Gillian was performing her nightly rendition of a person on the brink of needing medical attention.  We told Lucelly that this charade could go on for a while, and only if she mentioned stinky would you want to consider going in.

As luck would have it, Gillian said she had to go pee pee, and lucelly went up to see if she was wearing a diaper.  Without much introduction or explanation as to why she was there, Lucelly told Gillian to go to bed.

The next day, I apologized profusely to Gilly that we didn't tell her Lucelly was coming. She said, "I just wanted a hug and she wouldn't give me one." Poor Gigi!!! 

Birthday Questions with Gillian

I forgot the best video of them all... Birthday Questions!

The Best Day(s) of Gillian's Life

Gillian's 3rd birthday finally arrived, after a 4 month long countdown:

"First, it's Ava's birthday, then it's Bailey's birthday, then it's Dev's birthday then Shannon's then... [points to self with big smile and nods her head] MINE!

Gillian had no shortage of ideas for her birthday gift. However, the number one, most important thing on the list this year was:

"The One That Opens Her Mouth"

And here she is! 

Once she realized that birthdays = presents, Gillian had a few other ideas:

The Saturday before Gillian's birthday, all of her cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles came to spend celebrate the big day.  Gilly's part was at Bounce Safari, a warehouse full of bounce houses). She ate pizza and cake, and was at the top of her birthday game.  This was her first of 3 parties and she loved every minute of it! (The second was at school, celebrated with munchkins, and the third and final was at our house, thrown by Gillian's Fairy Godmother, Paula. More on that later)

First pic with all 4 cousins! 

The Birthday Party Crew

Nothing better in life

Gillian's 3rd "3rd" Birthday party was a fete thrown by Paula at our house.  Gillian ate pancakes with sprinkles, a homemade funfetti cake by mom (chad rated it a B; it took me 4 hours to make), and ripped into another round of presents leaving her in a state of birthday induced delirium.

Gilly's 3rd "3rd" Birthday Party!

Gilly, you deserved every ounce of birthday celebration that you received, and then some. Even though we like to joke that you are 40% crazy, that still makes you 60% pure amazement and joy. ;)
We couldn't love you more, thank you for saying and doing the most incredible things each day, and wish you a year full of delight.  xoxox
mommy and daddy