There's a first time for everything

Seems like this week was full of firsts ...

First illnesses since moving to Houston
We are used to having sniffly noses and other feverish illnesses passing through the house all winter and spring, but we lucked out this year.  Not having Leighton in school and attending endless play dates really made a difference, I'm guessing.  And living in a warmer climate probably helped a little too.

Leighton had a fever Monday and Tuesday - and even took nice, long, self-imposed naps both days.

Riley had it Wednesday and Thursday.  And she was lucky enough to have a bout of nausea included with her symptoms.  And I was lucky enough to be the recipient of said bout of nausea.  Right after I got out of the shower and was dressed in fresh, clean clothes, of course.  Leighton was sitting on the couch next to me.  I think his exact words were, "Ew, gross!" as he scampered away.

Not sure if this was related to her short-lived fever last Thursday & Friday or not, but it seems to have completely left the house now!

First time playing in the sandbox
Last month our neighbors across the street were getting rid of an old turtle sandbox that they had used with their daughter when she was little.  She is now a sophmore in college.  It's been sitting around a while!  And the same exact one is still sold is stores today, but we scored this one for free!  Leighton and I thought it looked in pretty fantastic shape, except a few dirty spots here and there.  We scrubbed with some water and bleach and shined it right up.  We took a trip to Lowe's to get the play sand and have been waiting patiently for our yard transformation to be completed so we knew where we could have it sitting without ruining the nice, new grass.  The sandbox was opened for business this week for the first time while Mommy barbecued dinner.  Took Riley some getting used to, but once she accepted the fact that a little sand on her skirt wouldn't hurt her, she had a great time.  Leighton looks like a giant in it, but the two of them didn't seem to notice that his body took up a large percentage of the play area. 

First veggies in the garden
Leighton was able to eat the first beans off the bean plants over the last couple weeks, and in the last few days, we've seen tomatoes and peppers starting to grow!

First time Riley was happily lounging on her back and putting her face in the water in the tub
She used to lean back while Daddy washed and rinsed and conditioned and rinsed her hair, but as it is with everything in toddler-land, she stopped being a fan of the procedure a while ago.  This week she has decided that relaxing on her back for long rinse cycles (and even afterward!) is super fun.  And on top of that, she has decided that putting her face in the water is enjoyable as well.  All of it makes for good photo ops for Mommy!

First time Roy is contributing to the blog
It has recently come to my attention that Roy is a secret fan of the blog.  He reads it but doesn't comment and wasn't even letting on that he was keeping up with reading regularly.  Sneaky Daddy!  Now that the cat is out the bag though, I am expecting some comments from you!

Anyway, his contribution will come as a post all on its own later tonight or tomorrow.  It has been a few days since he shared the content with me, and he has been (im)patiently waiting for me to post it. 

First time Leighton ate soup in ages played a trick on Mommy
Most of the days Leighton goes across the street to play with his friend Mihal, she is having her lunch and eats chicken soup.  Leighton is not a fan of soup and has already had his lunch, so declines her offers to have some as well.  This week when he came back, he told me he had some.  I was so shocked and impressed that he tried it and told him how proud I was of him for trying something he thinks he doesn't like.  I WAS a little confused why he said he had some lunch at 4:30, but didn't think much of it.  I was ALSO a little confused when he said the only thing in it was chicken and slices of cucumber.  After a couple hours, Leighton informed me he was just teasing and he didn't have soup.  The little bugger!  He said he came up with the idea to play a joke on me all on his own when I asked because I was sure somehow Roy put him up to it or something.  Turns out he didn't, but Daddy was pretty amused at the joke his little guy played on Mommy.

First Band-Aid for Leighton
When Leighton was a baby and toddler, he would get Band-Aids over the spot where he got his vaccinations, but he has adamantly refused these and any other opportunities for a Band-Aid ever since the he turned two.  At that time, Roy had some major back pain and ended up with an injection into his spine.  There was a Band-Aid on his back covering the spot, and we think Leighton made a negative association with the Band-Aid and all the pain and stress of Roy's back issues.  This week he scratched/cut his knee while playing and asked for one (he asked for a fun one, but since he's always refused them, we only had the plain ones in the house!).  I was one shocked Mommy!

  
First time Leighton changed Riley's diaper
The other day Leighton asked if he could change Riley's diaper.  She was SO good for him and stayed so still.  Much better than she is for me these days!  They both thought it was great fun and he did it again today.  I tried to get some photos to share with you, but they aren't very good.  But they do capture the moment!

First time Riley enthusiastically ate ice cream
It is surprising she is my daughter.  The girl just doesn't have a love of ice cream.  At first we thought it was too cold, but she loves ice cubes.  Maybe it is too sweet?  Not sure.  All I know is that when we are having some and offer her a taste, she isn't interested.  Until Friday, that is.  On Friday she was very interested in having tastes of the flavors we were dishing into a bowl for Leighton (we have found a local brand that makes so many yummy flavors and we are doing a good job making our way through them all, one pint at a time!).  She had a strong preference for Red Velvet Cake, but was happy to indulge in Mint Chocolate Chip and Banana Pudding as well.  However, yesterday at IKEA she showed initial excitement as she grabbed the cone from my hands while shrieking ICE CREAM, but after one taste, her face puckered up and that was it.  She's still young though.  Lots of time for her to come around! 

First time Leighton is reading the bed time stories
For those of you who don't know, Leighton is a good little reader and started reading really early.  He was able to sound out and read 4 and 5 letter words before his 3rd birthday.  After that, his interest decreased, so we didn't push it, and it wasn't until this past December that he started getting really keen again.  He did learn to sound out and spell many, many words in the meantime though, and it is amazing how this has translated into an easier time learning to read big words for him.  He is very shy to read to us a lot of the time for some reason, but this week he started reading one of the four bed time stories to Roy.  It is amazing (and adorable) that our little guy can read whole books on his own.

First time I ventured further than our immediate neighborhood in the car on my own
The last few weekends, I have taken a drive to one of the close grocery stores in an attempt to get more comfortable driving again (it's been 8.5 years!), but today I went all by myself a little further away.  Yay me!  I have taken Leighton with me in the car a couple times and he knows he has to be quiet so I can concentrate.  Next step will be for us to get a second car and for me to start driving with both the kids in the car.  Eek!