Spray park

Camillus, the next town over, has a brand new spray park. It's not as large as the one at the Seneca Lake State Park, and it doesn't have the beautiful lake view or the awesome playground next door, BUT it is about 20 minutes away and a big forest next to it so it stays cool and shady in the afternoon. Last Tuesday it was very hot, so we went to check it out. Beckett was ornery and tired but Theo enjoyed it til he got too cold. I plopped Reed down in the middle of it and he liked watching the water dance around him and occasionally splash him. Or at least he didn't mind it enough to cry. Then the boys blew my mind by going across the monkey bars almost unassisted. Wow!

Big times in the House of Lovebo

Saturday we hosted a birthday party for Theo, Beckett and Grandpa Stu. When Uncle Jon announced he was coming with his girlfriend Rachel and that they were getting engaged, it became an engagement party too. Then that morning Jeff went to a meeting of the Onondaga County Democrats, who voted to nominate Jeff as a candidate for one of the open County Court Judge seats. We also finally found out that the boys were accepted at the Syracuse Latin School, a public school in our city district that has an especially rigorous curriculum and lots of opportunities for independent, student-driven learning. Lots of great friends and our dear families came and brought food and celebrated with us. It was a really awesome weekend all-around, and we couldn't be more grateful for all the truly wonderful things in our lives!

Classroom birthday parties

Friday we celebrated the boys' birthday in their classrooms with their school friends. I really love their teachers and their little classroom communities, and I have gotten to know the kids there so it's really fun for me to spend time with them all there. Beckett chose to have ice cream and Theo chose to have chocolate chip cookies ("and something else... not just one thing!" but then couldn't think of anything else to have so, reluctantly, just had one thing). Reed roamed around the classrooms while the kids ate and sang to Theo and Beckett. It was a nice time.

Grandma Kathy visit and frenectomy

Grandma Kathy came up for a very important 24 hours last week while Jeff was away and Beckett had his frenectomy. He has had a top lip tie forever, and he probably would have had a tougher time nursing if he hadn't had a twin to start the milk flowing for him. Their dentist has been telling me that we'll have to get it done at some point but it's only been in the last year that Beck has been able to tolerate even a basic teeth cleaning. He listens to everything and asked about what the dentist had been talking about at his last cleaning. I explained that he had an extra piece of skin that connected his lip to his teeth that gave him a blister on his lip and made it tight in his mouth. We talked about how the dentist would use a laser to cut the extra skin. That was a few months ago. About a month ago, he asked when he was going to go to the dentist to have it done, because it was bugging him. I made the appointment the next day.

Beck was a total champ and did not move a muscle during the entire 10 minute ordeal. He had nitrous oxide and novocaine and apparently felt no pain. He watched cartoons on the ceiling and held on tight to a rubber crab in his lap as they suctioned away the blood and snipped away with scissors on the inside of his mouth. He had a little swelling that night and the next morning but has not complained one bit about pain or discomfort. I think he's still getting used to the feeling in his mouth of not having the lip tie. He's also been very cooperative with the mouth rinsing and blotting it with a cleaning solution twice a day.

Reed and Mama

From a couple of weeks ago when the big boys were visiting Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Greg, and we just had Reed to ourselves for a few nights. We went to Pastabilities. Reed loved the penne a la vodka, but the chicken riggies were too spicy. Stretch bread always gets a thumbs-up.

At Green Lakes a few weeks ago.

Baby Nathaniel and Mama Jody

Last week my friend Jody came over with her brand new baby Nathaniel (due on Reed's birthday). Warren G meets Nate Dogg! Like with all babies, Reed was very very interested in the baby. And particularly in touching his hands and face. I think it's interesting how fascinated Reed is by babies. I do not remember Theo and Beckett being interested in babies much, at this age or really ever.

Weekend fun

Saturday we hosted Beckett's birthday party with his classmates, more bounce housing and pizza and donuts this time instead of cake. Beck was diagnosed with strep (3rd time!) on Thursday and just started antibiotics Friday, so he wasn't in the lightest of moods. But his friends Owen and Walter came over and the four boys had a great time playing in the bounce house (lots of wrestling).

Beckett enjoying his chocolate frosted donut birthday treat.

Reed loved that the boys had to take off their shoes and socks to bounce in the bounce house, so he got to investigate everyone's shoes.

Sunday we decided to break from the routine at home on a cold, windy, rainy day by going to the Greek Peak indoor water park. This was Reed's first time, and he loved it. Beck just reached the 42 inch threshold to go on the water slides, which was great until Theo realized that Beck was going on the water slides. Then the parents Lovebo made the decision to take advantage of the boys' twinhood, for the first time. They had each chosen the Superman swim trunks, and along with their blue goggles, they were pretty identifiable. But we realized that the lady who checks the height for the water slides hadn't seen them both together, so we sent them up one at a time so she wouldn't realize there were two of them. Which worked so well we started sending them both up at the same time, hoping she would then think that she'd already measured them both. They LOVED the slides and would have done the one in the double tube all day but Mama and Daddy were pretty dizzy from all the spinning in the slides! The video of Theo on the slide is classic Theo--after giggling and grinning from ear to ear every other time he went down any of the slides, the one time I had my camera in the right place at the right time, he hit his head on the slide on the way down.


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Reed's birthday celebrations

On Reed's birthday we had a lovely day together, taking our regular nice long walk in the middle of the day and then eating lunch while watching Scandal. On the night of his birthday we went to the boys' favorite ice cream place. Then we celebrated his birthday with our family on Sunday, May 8. I was going to make him a cake, but that half of a cake leftover from Theo's party was just sitting there, so I decided to start Reed on the tradition of hand-me-downs he is sure to enjoy for many more years to come.

On our walk

Eating birthday ice cream at Gannons 

Reed also enjoyed opening presents for his birthday. His brothers swiped the first present he opened, from Auntie Alexis, a super cool seacopter that they commandeered for their own use, but Reed enjoys his animal bath toys--especially putting them in a box, and taking them out of a box.

The big boys got in some good wrestling and tickling with Grandpa Greg.

Reed LOVES cake, as it turns out.