Then A Lot of Herways Came to Town

We had a jam packed two weeks of family here in lovely Coronado. My family and Seth's family overlapped visits for a day so we all had a dinner together and welcomed Steve (Seth's youngest brother) home from his mission.

Seth's parents rented a house for the week that could accommodate everyone. Even though we live here, we still stayed in the house so we could hang out with everyone after kids went to bed. We had most of Seth's siblings there, minus Seth's older brother who is on a top secret job in the Middle East (seriously) and Seth's other brother and his family who live in New Jersey.

Taft was beyond thrilled to have his cousins. I think he followed Brauer around laughing hysterically at everything he did for the entire first evening. We had a great time with everyone hanging out at the beach and taking it easy. Seth had a whole week of vacation so he was able to spend time with everyone too.

I can't take credit for most of these pictures. Seth's sister Natalie took most of them. I hardly took any because I knew Natalie would be all over it and would do a great job, and she did. (Good ones=Natalie's Grainy/Bad Angles/Overall Bad= Mine)

Cousins. It rained the first two days of the week so one morning we headed to the heated community pool. The lifeguards were really, really uptight.

Colie (Seth's sis) . Me+Luke. Lara (wife of Seth's oldest brother). Natalie (Seth's sis)

This is Anita's (Seth's mom) BFF from when they lived in D.C. years and years ago. She just so happened to be in San Diego the same week. They are wearing almost the EXACT same thing, right down to the shoes!

This picture captures Taft's currently personality PERFECTLY. He is always on the run and thinks everything is a game.

Zane and Brauer with newly returned missionary Steve-O

Aunt Colie. Isa. Daphne

I love this picture.

Note the squat. 

One morning TONS of sea stuff was washed up on shore including this huge starfish!

Daphne sending the starfish back home

Oh Wuke.

Grammie with the goods-- Belgian candy

Taft thinks Down Dog means horsey ride.

Just having a naked tea party with my cousin. (Future blackmail right here)

The Bluths Came to Town

My sis, Tates, plays soccer for a J.C. in southern Arizona. She had a couple of games in the San Diego area so my parents and other sister made a trip to visit us and to watch Tates play. Unfortunately, the week before they came out Tates tore her MCL. Bummer. We still went to her games to support her team and to see her. I loved seeing Tates but I think I need to change my attitude about soccer before Taft or Luke ever start playing. I had a total overdose of soccer game exposure since my sisters have played since...forever. Tates was able to join us one day in Coronado for jet-skiing in the bay. It was SO much fun! I didn't think Taft would like it because about 6 mo. ago we tried to get him on snowmobiles and you would have thought we were trying to make him jump off a cliff. It did not go well. However, he loved the jet skis and kept saying that it was so much fun. I was beaming with pride at how brave he was, really I still don't think I'm over it.

My parents treated us to a day at Sea World and we had a great time. All the shows are so cool, I can't believe they can get all those animals to learn all those tricks. My mom bought a $11.00 soda in a souvenir cup so I can get $1 refills any time I go again. She's nice. Speaking of buying things, my parents treated us to everything we did. Sometimes I feel kind of pathetic letting them do it because I'm getting pretty old, but it sure is nice of them. I'll find you guys a real nice nursing home one day. ;) Kidding!

They have a really fun splash pad that Taft loved. I think an annual pass might be worth it just for splash pad.

Gwumpa and Wukie

We hung out at the beach, went to a movie with just the girls, watched soccer games, jet-skied, did Sea World, and Seth and I even got a date night out of it. Seth had to miss almost everything because of his insane work schedule, but he did get to jet-ski which was probably the most fun thing we did.

We Made Friends

Taft + Logan. They are friends even though Taft looks a little psycho in this picture and Logan looks like he wants out.

Taft+Ashlyn

We made insta-friends as soon as we moved here which is SO not the norm for us. Seth and I are quite lazy when it comes to making "couple friends". We do just fine at making our own friends but couple friends always seem like so much work. Luckily, we moved into a ward with only a few young families so they were pumped to have fresh faces to befriend. Since we've moved in there have also been a few more families move in and it's been a lot of fun. Every Sunday this summer the main park in Coronado had a summer concert series. We'd go every Sunday and meet up with our pals. The best part is all the kids play so well together. Little Logan makes Taft feel like a rockstar. Logan's about a year younger than Taft but follows him everywhere. I think Taft likes being the big kid in the situation. The kids' ages range from 7 mo. to 4 yrs. and they all have a blast together (minus the babies who don't really know what's going on)

The guys have been playing beach volleyball once a week in the evening. Seth's liked getting out in the evening and doing something active and it's fun to give the kids a chance to run and get energy out.

Have I mentioned how nice everyone is here? We have really really nice neighbors. I was just thinking today how I never want to leave this place. Now I only have to make 4.8 million dollars to buy a house and I CAN stay here forever!

Astuonis Menesius (eight months)

Luke's newest nickname from my dad is Lukas Plepis Petrauskas. He looks like he could be Lithuanian/Eastern European. Lukie is army crawling like a mad man. He's a bottomless pit when it comes to meal time. He's becoming a binky man, just like Taft was. I've told myself that I'll have to make him kick the habit earlier than Taft (yep, Taft still uses his for sleeping and still tries to get away with using it at other times as well). Luke is a squirmy squirmerson and is very curious about everything and is determined to get his hands on it. The beach is officially no fun at all for me because Luke won't stay on a blanket or towel and insists on scooching all over the sand and eating it. He's babbling more and more. Most of the time he makes the "dada" sound but has been making some new ones lately. He still is pretty consistent with two naps a day and sleeps well at night (about 12-13 hours) with the exception of still waking up once in the night to eat---although last night he didn't wake up to eat...maybe he's going to sleep through the night now?!?! That would be too good to be true. I don't think Luke really likes to be held besides by me or Seth. I've mentioned he's pretty whiney, but it seems to get worse when others hold him. He'll do okay for a bit, but it seems like 99.9 percent of the time the person hands him back based on his whining. The whining still drives me up the wall some days but the whines come from such a cute face it's hard to hold it against him. I don't know his stats for this month, we'll head to the doctor next month but I'm pretty sure he's somewhere around 18 lbs. Luke is super ticklish- squeezing his thighs, pretending to eat him tummy, or tickling under his arms will definitely get him laughing.

But I Still Love Him

Despite the poop-capades we've been dealing with I still really, really, really love our boys. I've been having anxiety already just thinking about going back to school next year. It's a YEAR away and I'm still just dreading being gone and having someone else take care of my little dudes.

Taft likes to get in Luke's crib with him and wrestle (Luke is not a huge fan though). Earlier today Taft had his arm around Luke and kept saying over and over "Best Friends, Wuke! BEST FRIENDS!" I hope one day they'll be best friends.

Taft usually wakes up in a very good mood after his nap and will usually snuggle with me for a good 15 minutes. It's one of the BEST parts of my day.

Lately Taft likes putting on pieces of clothing he gets out of the dirty clothes (gross). It's usually something that's mine or Seth's and his huge on him. He puts it on and says, "I'm a princess!" I think he thinks dresses, or things that looks like dresses are princesses, I'm not quite sure, but I've been trying to correct him by telling him he's a prince. He must have been offended him because he always tells me, "You're NOT a princess Mom!"

We live on a block that has several kids, mostly boys. The ages range from 2-9 (ish). Taft thinks all the boys are THE coolest. Whenever he sees them he gets way excited and always says "What's going on guys?!" They usually laugh and tell him to say it again. It's kind of sad because he wants to play with him so bad but they're so much older and are only interested in him for a few seconds.

Taft has been good at sleeping lately but usually gets up three or more times before he finally falls asleep for the night. The getting out of bed sequence usually goes:

1. "I need water."
2. "I need to go potty."
3. "I need one toy."
4. "I need water."


Luke is army crawling all over the place now. I really have to watch him because he always seems to go straight for electrical cords. He is a very smiley boy. He is just about perfect in every way, except for his whiney hours from 5-7. Oh-my-good-gracious, that kid can whine. It's at the perfect time of day too, when I'm trying to get dinner ready and the house picked up. Combined with the whining, my anxiety level is just about through the roof.  He still doesn't have any teeth yet (Taft had his first two by this age) and although he drools non-stop I still don't see anything swelling or breaking through. He loves to roam around the floor when Taft's not around, it means he gets to play with whatever toy he wants! Even though Taft loves Luke, he has a really hard time sharing with him. No matter what the toy or thing is that Luke has, Taft snatches it right up. Lukie does not like it. I gave Luke his first puff treats this week and was trying to get him to feed himself. Instead of picking up the puff out of my hand he would just lean over with his mouth open straight to my hand. Luke is a great sleeper and I think maybe a little bit lazy. He sleeps about 12 hours (getting up once to eat) every night, takes a 2ish hour morning nap and a 2ish hour afternoon nap and is already tired again by 6:30. He's super ticklish, likes to attack your face with his hands and mouth, and will rip big chunks of hair right out of your scalp. Oh and his blue eyes make everyone swoon.

This Post is About Poop...Don't Say I Didn't Warn You

About three weeks ago I started a 3-day potty training program. It promised if I put myself and child under house-arrest for 3 days,while watching the potty trainee like a hawk, use the correct terminology, and stay positive then the program would work.

The program was working wonderfully and I couldn't believe that it went so well! Since the first day Taft has not had one wet accident-not even at night. Taft is doing so well with numero uno and is always super proud of himself when he goes. HOWEVER, number two is NOT happening and I want to punch myself in the face. UGH.

We googled "my toddler is afraid to poop on the potty" and all we got was a whole bunch of other parents in the same boat with no answers. One lady said her 11 year old still has issues (Please bless that isn't us in 9 years)

He hasn't worn diapers or pull ups since the beginning of training...but we find ourselves cleaning some really gross undies every other day. Taft has gone in his unders, in the tub, in a jacuzzi, and on Seth (yes, it was very traumatic for all involved). As far as bribes/rewards go we've tried candy, stickers, ice cream, toys, a Rolls Royce, and The Moon. He doesn't want any of it if it means he has to poop first.

Help. Us.


p.s. Don't say maybe he isn't ready, because he is. (Remember, he has no problems whatsoever going peepers.) He knows when he needs to go, he knows where it's supposed to go, he just WON'T.

p.p.s I haven't talked about poop more in my entire life than I have in the last 3 weeks.

p.p.p.s Aren't you glad I blogged about this?

More with Lanx + Pete and Carissa Visit!

This action cracked Auntie Lanx's sunglasses

One of Taft's most popular stances

Sandy Five o'clock shadow

Soaking up the attention from Lanx, Carissa, and Pete

3 out of 4 siblings...We missed you Tates!

It didn't take too long for Taft to warm up to Pete and Carissa. By the end of the day Taft was absolutely ga-ga for Carissa.

Even though Pete and Carissa were married in May, they haven't lived together until now. Pete was already in San Antonio, TX for work but Carissa and Jayda stayed in Stockton, CA until Jayda and Carissa both finished up school. Pete and Carissa stopped through Coronado on their move to their new home in Tejas. We missed seeing Jayda but her parents decided to spare her the agonzing 20+ hour drive to Texas and she'll be flying with her uncle later this week.

It was great to spend the day with Pete and Carissa and get to know Carissa a little better. Taft was smitten with Carissa, it was pretty funny to watch. We spent the day at the beach and went out to dinner on the bayside (Pete's treat!). We spent less than 24 hours with them, but we were just glad they went out of the way to stop by and see us.

Speaking of Pete, look at this table he built for his new family (with very few tools I might add...)

Let the Record Show

Taft: "Mom, you're cute. Mom, you're nice."

You bet he got a big smooch and big hug for that one. Granted, he did once tell me as we were cleaning the bathroom that the tub was cute, but still. I think he likes me. Yay!

Seven, yes, SEVEN months old!

Being cute

Loving his puppy

"Who, me?"

Mmmm...paper

"Give me back that paper!"

So, obviously, Luke keeps getting cuter and cuter. He can now sit on his own...ta da! He scootching along the floor and getting up on all fours and rocking. He's interested in everything and wants to put anything he can get his hands on in his mouth. He loves baths, being tickled, moving all over the place, and his new jumper from Nana. Great eater, still nursing, going long stretches at night, but still wakes up early morning for a feeding. He's pooped by 7:00 and is a wreck by 7:30. Is up for good for the day around 7:00 unless Taft wakes him up earlier, which is quite often. Luke now sleeps with a roommate, Taft. Still no teeth. He does not like to be ignored, to be kept waiting when he's hungry, to be in the stroller for too long, and for some reason is super fuzzy between 5:00 p.m. and bed (although the jumper/bouncer has helped with this). He's a very happy baby the majority of the time and I'm glad that he hasn't learned to push me away when I smother him with snuggles and kisses all day long.


Untitled from heidi herway on Vimeo.




Bouncy Luke from heidi herway on Vimeo.

Oh Busski...

The other day on the way home from the beach Taft had been teasing Luke and I noticed he took Luke's sun hat. I didn't realize until we got home that he took the hat AND binky from Luke. I guess that's what he needed to get cozy. Also, I guess he's just playing the role of big brother by teasing. At least Luke thinks it's funny!

Thirty Two Years Young

We celebrated Seth's birthday this past week. He worked all day on his actual birthday. Boo. His birthday dinner request was tacos. Easy! I'm glad Seth is so easy to please. One of his favorite desserts is Tres Leches so I attempted to make that and it didn't turn out too bad! Lanx then offered to watch the boys while Seth and I played tennis. Friday night we Lanx watched the boys again while Seth and I had a night on the town. The anesthesiology residents were all getting together for dinner and drinks so we joined them and had a great time. It was so great to get out sans kids. It's been a long time! I felt bad for Seth because he never really had time all weekend to do what he would really want to do (other than go on a date with me of course)...bike ride or something else active like that. Seth has been so so busy and is just completely exhausted but I think he still had a good birthday. I'm glad I get to spend all Seth's birthdays with him, he's just the best. 

Aunties Come to Town

Earlier this month we had the honor of hosting world traveler, Nicole Herway, for less than 24 hours. The boys and I picked up Aunt Colie from the airport around noon, came home and had lunch, the boys and Colie took naps, then we all had dinner, walked to the beach, and got frozen yogurt. Nicole had a early, early flight and Seth was able to drop her off on his way to work at 5:30 the next morning. Colie took Taft to see the firetrucks at the station around the corner from our house while I made dinner. They totally lucked out and Taft was given a full blown tour and got to try on all the fire fighter gear. He was in HEAVEN. Colie was mad she forgot her camera but said Taft's face was priceless and was running all over pointing to everything and naming everything. He loooooves all things fire fighter related.

Now Aunt Lanx is back from India and came to stay with us for a while. Wahoo! She came with us to the zoo the other day and was a huge help. Lanx has just come along for the ride for our regular routine: beach, park, library, grocery store, etc. Currently she's my partner in potty training...yes, potty training. She's also become addicted to watching "Brothers and Sisters" on Netflix.

Taft and his drum Lanx bought him in India

Helicopter at the zoo

I'm not the only one who finds this boy irresistible

Lanx, Taft, and the waffs (giraffes)