The Banaitis V

Jellystone

2009-08-11T18:51:00.000-07:00

Back in January we decided this would be the year we exposed the kids to Jellystone. As you probably know we love to camp and we figured the kids would love the campsite.

Let me start by saying when we drove up early on Friday afternoon that we were so excited. When checking in, we were advised that we would have an escort to our campsites. Sounds good!!!. Well shortly thereafter we learned that we had an escort because the site was so small no normal person would be able to park their pop up there. The site was awful. We were right on the street and our neighbors were right on top of us. Site aside, the kids did have fun.

They got tattoos

We overdosed Keaghan on Benedryl (accidentally)

Made X-mas ornaments (theme was Christmas in July)

Went on a wagon (ok Keaghan and Morgan did, Kaitlynn and Gavin wimped out) with Yogi.

Acted goofy

And went to a dance

Overall it was an ok trip but not what we are used to when it comes to camping.

Fun Sunday

2009-07-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

We had a great start to our Sunday. We picked up grandpa and then went to the pool. Oh no, not just any pool but H2O'Brien pool. This pool has it all water slides for the kids and the adults water shooters you name it.

Keaghan loved going down the slides she must have done it 20 times but alas, the poor parent that I am I didn't take any pictures of that (in all fairness I was in the water with the two little ones). We also had the pleasant surprise of running into the Welo's there. The Welo's are dear friends of ours who we don't get to see very often.

Keaghan had a ton of fun playing with Joshua and it was nice chatting with Kathleen and Rob even if it was just for a bit.

Tim and the kids

Kaitlynn and Grandpa

The kids

The only bad part of the pool was that I appear to have missed my back with sunscreen.

Once we came home we discovered that Gavin has 2 huge canker sores in his mouth. I googled it and determined it was probably from some ingredient in the new toothpaste I bought them. Thank God for Anbesol.

We then got to have a quick visit with our friends the Burch's who just got back from a great vacation. Then bath's and a quick puzzle before bed time. As you can see below, the kids were so excited to have finished their puzzle.

Welcome Back

2009-07-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

I think we can all agree that it has been some time (almost (or over) 2 months). I have decided not to go crazy give you all the updates. I will just start new. On July 11th Keaghan and I had the opportunity to spend a mom/daughter day. We started out at a baby shower for Aunt Vickie (the sister of their previous day care provider). From there we had a bunch of time to kill so we went to see Ice Age (I need to mention that we had no idea where we were going and must have walked a 1000 miles). And lastly we went to the Rockies game. We go every year when the Braves play the Rockies. We are fortunate enough to work with a guy that buys season tickets and knows that we like this match up. We even splurge for the really good seats behind home plate. Well much to Keaghan's dismay my Braves beat her Rockies this game. However the series was split.

Also really cool was the sign that I had made is up in the ballpark for the first time (as you may or may not know, I manage the brand for R.H. Donnelley). Here are some pictures of that as well.

Keaghan and Ajunay (i'm sure I spelled that wrong) at the baby shower

Keaghan outside the ball park

Dinger

My sign top left (plus as an added bonus a good shot of Chipper Jones' butt)

The girls enjoying the game.

Soccer Pictures

2009-05-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

April 24th was a busy day. We had soccer pictures then a really cold soccer game and finally a soccer clinic for Kaitlynn (which we skipped due to said coldness). While I don't have Keaghan's soccer picture (not allowed to take), I do have some of Kaitlynn and Gavin on that day. You'll recall I did say April 24th and yes they are wearing snow hats.

Gavin gets a haircut

2009-05-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

So I take Keaghan to the allergy doctor a few weeks ago and while there, I get a call from Tim.... So when are you going to be home he says. About an hour I reply. Okay I have started cutting my hair and I need your help was his final reply.

Well imagine my surprise when I get home and find out that not only has Tim cut his hair but he has taken a stab at Gavins as well.

A couple of bright spots... 1)This really happened 3 weeks ago 2)It's only hair and it does (and has) grown back and 3) He is already in need of another haircut (of which I will be supervising).

Uncle Scott's visit

2009-05-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

We recently had Tim's brother Scott visit us for a few weeks. It was nice getting caught up and the kid's had a blast with him. We now think Uncle Scott is back in California and look forward to a visit again over there.

What an awesome snowy day

2009-04-18T16:59:00.000-07:00

Well we finally got that good (and much needed) snow storm of the year. While Keaghan's school stayed open, Our office closed at 2:30 ish on Friday. Well it continued to snow/rain all night and pretty much all day today.

We decided to take advantage of the 8-10 inches we got and went sleding by the drainage thingy a couple of houses behind us. It is a really small hill which was good for the kids. One thing we did come to terms with was that none of our kids are remotely equiped for snowy weather.

Keaghan had to wear a snow suit that is a 4T. She wears a 6-7 bottom and 7-8 or 10-12 top. Nice. You'll notice her red soccer socks.

Oh wait... Gavin had to wear a size 2 snow suit.

Kaitlynn, when we could stop her from running around in her underwear was the only one that had a suit that fit.

Next you'll see Tim totaly decked out

30 minutes after we started getting everyone dressed we made it out of the house. We had to pack down the snow with a couple of trial runs.

Next came the real "thrills"

Keaghan

Kaitlynn

Gavin

Next we made a snowman.

Once we'd had enough, we went inside to warm up and have some hot chocolate. Keep in mind this is the first time Gavin and Kaitlynn have had hot cocoa.

Classy huh?

Easter treats

2009-04-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday the Easter Bunny visited our house. It is funny how Tim and I are not religious people but the kids reap the benefits of most of the religious holidays. Well as I said the Easter bunny made it to our house and along with way too much candy- M&M's, jelly beans and my all time least favorite Peeps, he also left them each a game.

Keaghan's game was Guess Who electronic version. Made for 6+ but there is a version that is hard. It is timed and gets kind of frantic.

Gavin's game was called Jungle Quest or something like that. It was pretty lame but we'll let it slide as the Easter Bunny hadn't bought games for the boy before.

Lastly was Kaitlynn's game. Hungy Hungry Hippo. This game has turned into a family favorite. The kids can play with each other or with us. There is really no skill required but the kids love to count the marbles. Here is the chant they created before each game.

Here are some additional HHH photos.

Kaitlynn's Soccer Clinic

2009-04-12T10:46:00.000-07:00

Kaitlynn is now playing soccer with the Fusion. She is in a program called the Fab 4's. For kids a Kaitlynn's age. She is probably one of the youngest ones in the clinic but she had a great time on a very windy Saturday.

They hopped with the ball

Dribbled the ball. Notice how windy it is. Kaitlynn couldn't keep the ball from blowing away. Notice how she is getting frustrated

Playing hungry hungry hippo soccer style- taking the ball away from the parents.

Kaitlynn as a sleeping hippo

And singing humpty dumpty - the point of this game was to kick down the cones with your ball.

We don't use what in soccer? HANDS!!

Keaghan's 2nd Grade Concert

2009-04-12T10:40:00.000-07:00

On Thursday Keaghan had her 2nd grade concert. She did a great job singing dancing and being an instrument hander outer. Sorry the pictures stink but my camera never takes good pictures in the gym.

Kaitlynn and Gavin had a great time as well and Gavin almost made it through the entire 1/2 hour concert.

How do you think this ends

2009-04-05T19:32:00.000-07:00

Gavin was jumping on our bed on Sunday. How do you think this ends???

We might never know

After dinner stretching

2009-04-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well after our Gavin experience on Saturday night, we finished dinner and the girls decided to do a little stretching.

Splits

Pushups

And Handstands

A rough day

2009-04-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a stay inside type of day. We did some housecleaning and the kids played pretty hard. For some reason Gavin decided not to take a nap (I'm sure most of you can see where this is going) and right around 4 he had a major meltdown. All over picking up a pair of goggles he threw.

After quite a while in his room (yes it became a power struggle between he and I and I know I shouldn't engage in that), I decided he was not coming down to eat dinner. Well of course then I felt guilty and went up and got him. between the hard playing and the emotional draining of being in time out. He did the following...

Well he was snoring so loud that we decided it was time to bring him upstair, but alas, he still has food in his mouth. So as not to let him choke on the food, Tim pinched his nose until he swallowed. All the while still sleeping. I glad to say that he slept in until about 7:30 this morning.

LG Tromm

2009-04-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

When we first bought our house we bought new side by side washing machine and dryer.

We were so proud of it. Well apparently having three kids, a grandma and two adults using it for almost four years has taken its toll. As we are in the middle of doing our laundry, we get an LE error. An LE error means Overload in motor. The Solution... Close the water tap, unplug the power plug, call for service.

So I call best buy and the girl was super nice (almost to the point that I wanted to scream please stop thanking me!!!). Well she immediately told me that she would have a tech come out. She then puts me on hold for a bit and comes back with her first available appointment - Monday April 6th. Uh hello today is Saturday.

I now have to determine based off of what is in my dryer that is still going if I have to go our friends/neighbor Mark and Michelle's house to do my laundry for my trip. Oh and did I mention that we are having some sort of ice type storm. Always a fun time.

favorite vegas sayings

2009-03-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

Well, unfortunately my blackberry died this week and not everything saved when they gave me a new one. But I am going to try to recall our sayings of the trip.

Anything that includes bouncing balls must be fun ( a powerball type of gambling machine)
Get your mouth off my hole ( it was a lot more innocent than it sounds)
Oh Jesus Oh Jesus (on the roller coaster)
Please tell me we aren't going backwards (also on the roller coaster).

Have a great day.

What happens in Vegas.....

2009-03-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

Tim and I had the opportunity to go to Las Vegas this past Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The kids stayed at Mia's house so we had 2 footloose and fancy free days. Well I now know where the phrase what happens in vegas stays in vegas... While we didn't win anything (alas we lost all we brought) we had a phenomenal time.

April and Michelle

Michelle and Marc

Mark and April

Michelle and April

A-Town
April and Tim

Terry and Rebecca

I think we single handedly paid the rent of the bartender at Fat Tuesday's (Tim is opening one up in our basement)and the dealers at the Craps table. We rode the roller coasters at New York New York and Circus Circus, did goofy stuff on kids rides, humiliated ourselves with Sponge Bob and basically laughed our butts off. I am going to put some of the tamer pictures below. I can't wait until our next trip (although my liver may beg to differ).

I think this is where we started getting sloppy

Roller Coaster faces

Having fun

Nice Shades

For Gavin
Volcanic eruption

Tim and Mark

We were fortunate to go with some great people. Our friends Mark and Michelle joined us on Tim's inaugural trip. Also Tim's co-worker Terry and his wife Rebecca.

At the end of our trip I think Michelle summed it up the best...

Ahhh!!!!!

Outdoor Challenge

2009-03-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

So we broke down and bought an outdoor challenge for our Wii. It is super cool. More upbeat than the wii fit and down right laughable. Kaitlynn is our runner.

Keaghan skating

Items too big to upload... Tim and Kaitlynn doing the whack-a-mole. This is pretty sad because it is hysterical. You can go to my facebook page and take a look. I'll put it there soon.

Fun Times at Best Buy

2009-03-12T18:09:00.000-07:00

After Swim lessons last Saturday we decided to go to best buy. We were looking for Outdoor Challenge for the Wii (which is another story). Well we couldn't find that but they had Wii drums for Guitar hero sitting out.

You'll notice a couple of things on the video above. 1) Kaitlynn told Gavin it was time to go so he would get off the drum set. Once he put the sticks down see how she grabbed them and starting playing and 2) See how it took my "musician" husband all of about 3 seconds to take over Keaghan's drumming.

I discovered although I wasn't really surprised that I have a very musical family. As my immediate family knows, I have quite the singing voice. I'm often asked to stop because their jealous. If I weren't so old, I'd be trying out for American Idol. Don't believe me listen to my hyena laugh at the beginning of the spot below (boo-hoo, I was not able to upload that video as it was too long but I put another not quite as funny one in).

Our Trip to the zoo

2009-03-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of being a chaparone on Keaghan's class trip to the zoo. The groups were divided by their choice of enrichment activity. Well unfortunately for me Keaghan picked enrichment with Ms. Amick. She is one of the third grade teachers who is a bit of a control freak.

The trip consisted of grades K-3. All of the other teachers except for the third grade ones did a really cool scavenger hunt. The third grade teachers (neither of whom I care for) chose not to. Our teacher instructed us to stay in a large group and we'd figure out where to go. Basically they rushed through everything. Well one of the other mom's who happens to be one of my carpool moms and I decided we were not going to stay with the big group.

We had a great time and got to see what we wanted to. See below for some neat pictures of the kids and animals, the lorakeets were especially pretty.

It was really chilly in the morning and we weren't really dressed for it but by the time we left at 1:15 it was really beautiful. I even managed to get a bit of sun on my face.

Latest swim lessons

2009-03-07T19:31:00.000-08:00

Well we are in our final set of swim lessons this season. The girls start soccer soon and Gavin is still too young. Here are a few shots from this go around.

picture day

2009-03-07T19:17:00.000-08:00

While I'm not quite sure how none of my kids got any of my curls I need to share a story about Spring picture day (they now have it twice a year).

The day before picture day Keaghan told me she wanted to get up early and curl her hair. Okay, great I thought now I need to get up at 5:00a,m instead of 5:30. However to make my child happy I readily agreed. I woke at 5:00 and warmed up the curlers. We put them in Keaghan's hair and decided she should eat breakfast before we took them out.

Once out however we put Keaghan in her picture day outfit and she looked fabulous. From the pictures below, she obviously knew it.

Spring time weather

2009-03-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

Not really sure what else to say about the nice weather we have been having, but if our prima-dona dog is basking in the sun, life must be good.

Interesting little boy

2009-02-18T18:53:00.000-08:00

So i have no pictures for this post (and quite frankly after I share this, you'll be glad). So Gavin is pretty much potty trained. Unless we are going out he doesn't wear a pull up during the day only at night. So the two little ones are getting ready to take a bath tonight. I told Gavin that he needed to go in to the bathroom and go potty. He said okay mommy, went into my bathroom, stood (yes stood) on the toilet, bent over (so his butt was sticking up) and peed. It was really funny to see and I'm very proud to say that he didn't spill a drop.

A brief moment of silence

2009-02-16T18:44:00.000-08:00

In the chaotic timeframe we call life, there was a brief moment of silence. It only lasted about two minutes but it was really nice.

Jogging to the Wii

2009-02-15T13:52:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, we have a nintendo wii. While most games are geared for Keaghan's age and up, here is a video of Gavin and Kaitlynn getting some exercise using the wii fit. You'll notice that Gavin gives up pretty quickly. For some reason I can't get the volume to work. If you know what I may be doing wrong, let me know.

Swim lessons

2009-02-15T13:33:00.000-08:00

Keaghan has advanced to level 4 in her swim lessons. I think she was in a bit of shock because this is actual swimming laps. She still needs to work on her rotary breathing but her backstoke and breast stroke are coming along nicely. This class was actually 4 weeks ago (she is in her second session of level 4). Kaitlynn is also still in her toddler class. I will post pictures of hers next week.

Gavin rides his bike

2009-02-15T13:13:00.000-08:00

Well I've been getting a lot of slack lately for not keeping this updated. So I think I will overkill it now. We've been having unusually nice weather lately and Gavin wanted to go ride his bike with the new helmet and pads he got for x-mas. He did a great job (okay I did most of the work) and loved every minute of it.

Gavin gets a haircut

2009-01-03T12:54:00.000-08:00

As I'm sure with many boys, Gavin's hair grows like a weed. We recently got him a haircut and 2 weeks later, he is in dire need of one again. Here are the before and after's from last time.

Our Experience with Santa

2009-01-03T12:49:00.000-08:00

It has become a holiday tradition that the Friday before Christmas the kids come to my office and get pictures with Santa. Keaghan did great but as you probably know 2 & 3 are not such great ages to do this.

Happy Holidays (updated)

2008-12-31T09:25:00.000-08:00

So as most of you know ( and the rest can probably see), I'm not good at keeping my blog up-to-date. Try as I might, I just can't find the time. So apologies aside, I hope everyone had a happy holiday (and upcoming New Years).

Well Keaghan's last day of school was December 18th and they had a cool little Holiday party. I was able to bring Kaitlynn and Gavin and they had a lot of fun. The kids did crafts, ate food and read holiday books. Kaitlynn thought she was a student and did everything Keaghan did. Gavin was well, Gavin.

The following week was a bit of a whirlwind (to quote some friends of ours). I Monday I worked, Tuesday Keaghan and I did something ( I honestly can't remember).

Wednesday our friends Michelle and Morgan came over during the day for some cookie decorating. Note to all parents with youngsters... Don't let your kids eat straight food coloring gel. While they won't get sick, the poopies will be very interesting colors.

Thursday was great. The kids were treated very well by Santa. Kaitlynn thought every gift that had a K on it was hers and she and Keaghan made their way through present after present. Gavin was more methodical about opening gifts. Really examining each one. Everyone got what they wished for. Keaghan an American Girl Doll named Mia, Kailtynn a Dollhouse and Gavin a remote control dinosaur. In addition they got tons of books, artsy stuff, clothes, games etc.... Tim and I really enjoyed watching them.

Saturday I took the girls ice skating at the outdoor mall. We went with Michelle and Morgan. This was quite an interesting endevour. My girls had never been ice skating and I haven't been in many many years (too many to recall). Well we get there and the smallest skate size they have is a 9 (available at that time was a 10). Kaitlynn is a size 6 1/2. So trying to get her balanced in a 10 was a challenge. Keaghan was a little uneasy at first (apparently she didn't know that falling was part of ice skating) but once she made it around the first time (with my help), she really enjoyed it. I'm not saying she was Dorthy Hammill (did I just date myself?) but she gave it a go and is open to do it again.

If you read this all the way through Thanks. I will try to be better at posting in 2009!! Happy New Years.

We have a biter

2008-12-13T17:53:00.000-08:00

So today all three of my kids want to take a bath together. Great I think, we'll save some water. All is well until lo and behold we hear a blood curdling scream. Great I think what now (the dog just ate destroyed my gifts to my brother and Tim).

Well it turns out Gavin has bitten his sister. Not just a little bite, he almost broke skin. The picture below doesn't do it justice.

Making a gingerbread house

2008-12-13T17:34:00.000-08:00

Today after swim lessons and shopping, we decided to make a gingerbread house that grandpa had given us a couple of months ago (don't ask). The kids had a great time and I'm happy to say Tim kept his cool (in case you don't know Tim, he is a bit of a perfectionist).

Madagascar 2

2008-12-07T18:33:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful 65 degrees out today in Denver CO. So naturally Keaghan and I went to the movies. We say Madagascar 2 and it was great. It was short enough to keep the kids's attention and funny enough to keep mom's. Some of the humor was so-so but that flies over their (at least my kids) heads.

After that we went home picked up the other two kiddos and the puppy and went to the park. We left dad home to cook dinner (AKA watch football). The kids had a blast.

It's starting to look a lot like X-mas

2008-11-30T19:15:00.000-08:00

It was the day after Thanksgiving and as we do most years, we started putting up our Christmas decorations. I must say it was an interesting undertaking with 3 kids and a puppy. Needless to say they all wanted to touch, touch, touch.

Terror in Target

2008-11-29T19:43:00.000-08:00

So I am still not clear when I became one of those parents that had kids that got so out of control.

Take today for example. It was a day of non-listening for my two younger kids.

We made the mistake of visiting the toy section in target first. Well by the time we were got to shopping, the little ones were gone.

Kaitlynn was having a meltdown once she learned that she wasn't getting a cookie as she wasn't behaving. Then since Kaitlynn was crying Gavin needed to do some sympathy crying.

It was so bad that at one point Tim told me I was embarassing him because I was trying to get the kids under control. I guess at that point you just leave them.

Well I am glad to say that 5 minutes after they got in the car they were asleep.

Boy was that a fun trip.

7 going on 13????

2008-11-25T14:40:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard of the statement that 50 is the new 30. Well 7 is (apparently) the new 13.

So in case you have never met or heard me talk about my daughter Keaghan you are in for a treat.

Keaghan is one of the smarter people you will ever meet (Yes Tim and I often question where this came from). She goes to a gifted and talented school and never ceases to amaze us.

But alas, with this gift comes many challenges. Because often when you are way above the norm in intellegence, you are a bit (or alot) behind in the social skills.

Keaghan once again demonstrated this to us on Sunday. She had a friend (Aspen) over for a playdate. While they haven't played for a while since Keaghan now goes to the GT school, they have been friends for a while. All was fine for the first 4 hours. The girls played (and the little ones slept) and had a blast. Then after playing on the bouncey castle and having a snack, Aspen wants to go into the basement to play (we have a playroom down there). Apparently Keaghan just read a book that now gives her an irrational fear of the basement. So long story short, Keaghan has a major meltdown ( I swear I wasn't going to be ready for this until she was a teenager). She starts the "I have no friends tyraid (Yes I did just say she had a friend over for a playdate). This of course sends me over the edge crying and thinking I am a failure as a parent.

So I bring Aspen home and then try to convey to Keaghan the concept of having someone in your home and how you have to comprimise. She struggled with this and declared that she never wants to be a hostess again. Always a fun time in the Banaitis house. As always, I welcome any suggestions, tips etc... for raising my kids.

Introduction

2008-11-22T18:11:00.000-08:00

So I thought today would be a good day to start blogging. My neighbor and girlfriend Michelle seems to do this alot and although I have I three kids aged 7, 3 and 2, I figured I have no excuse not to find the time.

So a little about me... As I stated above, I have 3 kids Keaghan is 7, Kaitlynn 3 and Gavin 2. I am married to Tim ( 10 years this July) and we have a puppy Pixar 8 months old.
I work for a relatively large Yellow Pages publisher as the Brand manager. While times are tough for this industry. I have a really fun job.

So I thought I'd start my blog with swim lessons . This is the first time Kaitlynn has taken swim lessons. She is a doing great and I've been so proud of her. Keaghan is also taking them and she is a trooper. She was sick during her first class but hung in there and did awesome. The pictures here are from today (week two) as I thought I had forgotten the camera last week (it was actually in the car).