Sneaky kid

Well, we have reached another developmental milestone, of sorts....deliberate deception.

Last week, after we got back from Chicago, I noticed that Ethan's appetite had really decreased.  We often eat breakfast together, and he wasn't eating.  At dinner, he would hardly touch his food.  Now, anyone who knows Ethan knows he is a GREAT eater.  Always has been.  I asked him what was wrong and he told me, "I don't know mom, I only have a taste for sweet stuff."  By Thursday evening, I was beginning to get really worried.   Was he sick?  Was something bothering him at school?   I decided that on Friday morning I would have a heart to heart with him.

Well, it turns out no heart to heart was needed.  That morning, our nanny found him in the bathroom stuffing his face full of cookies!  Turns out he has been doing this all week long--whenever no one was looking.  To me, he admitted eating tootsie rolls, peeps, chocolate Easter eggs and cookies.  Who knows what else.  No wonder he had no appetite.

Well, we have made some changes around here!  Now the sweets are up high where he cannot reach!  He had to write "I will not eat sweets without permission" ten times, and gets no sweets for 3 weeks. I hope it works.

Spring Break in Chicago

The kids and I just returned from 6 days in Chicago.  Ethan was on spring break.  Unfortunately, Jason could not get vacation this week and so the kids and I headed out alone.

The most important part of our trip was the completion of our passport application.  Yes, as I wrote previously, we got the pictures here in California   We even tried to get the passports here in California.  Only problem was that all passport appointments in the entire COUNTY where were live were AFTER our trip.

There is one walk-in passport processing location in the county.  So two weeks ago we miraculously found a day when all four of us could be there (they are, of course only open from 9-2 monday-friday), and went once Ethan got out of kindergarten.  Well, they practically laughed us away.  "All the tickets have been gone since 9am....come back tomorrow!".  Well, since we couldn't "come back tomorrow" or really any other day in the foreseeable future, we were in  a bind.  Why is it so impossible to get a passport?!?!?!

Luckily, the US government allows you to get a child's passport with only one parent IF you get a notarized letter from the other parent stating that it is ok to get a passport and that you are not trying to smuggle the children out of the country.  My dad suggested making an appointment in Chicago.  That was much easier, and I had no problems getting an appointment the week I was there. SO the kids and I hauled to the Park Ridge post office with all of our documentation and had the passports processed there.  "Now you know these passports are going to be sent to California, right?" said the post office man.  "That is great", was my response.  So, barring any snafus, the passports should be here on time to travel.  Fingers crossed.  

Otherwise, we enjoyed nice spring weather in Chicago.  Saw the Kurinsky family and Ethan took the train downtown with grandpa.  Also had a nice visit with my grandma, Aunt Judith and my dad's cousins Chris and Kris.  Finally, the most exciting part of our trip:  my brother and his wife announced that they are expecting a baby in October!  Ethan and Alaina will have a cousin!!

Happy Easter!

We are enjoying Easter today.  The kids have participated in several egg hunts over the past week, dyed their own Easter eggs, and found their baskets this morning.  Easter candy is my favorite, yum!
Enjoy these pictures of our celebrations: