Two Girls, Too Much Fun

Myrtle Beach Vacation

2009-07-24T12:41:00.016-04:00

Well, we've become regular visitors to Myrtle Beach and we absolutely love it there! Thanks to Tutu Winnie, we enjoyed yet another fabulous trip. We were fortunate enough to stay with Tutu and Mr. Walter for nearly 2 weeks. Kevin joined us for 4 days of the trip but had to go back to for the second session of graduate classes. We enjoyed fabulous weather - an occasional storm but nothing that would spoil our fun! We spent lots of time at the beach. Both girls enjoy it but Sydney truly loves the beach. She could spend the whole day jumping waves, riding her boogy board, building castles, looking for shells, and even just sitting in the water.

Broadway at the Beach is another favorite part of our trip. Sydney had planned to go there since last year's visit so she could build a bear. She saved her money just for this trip! We visited Broadway several times while we were there. The best part of trip was that we were able to catch up with an on-line friend that I've known for more than 7 years but never met who lives in Myrtle Beach! Our girls got along so well and had a great time riding the rides. We wish we could have played longer!!!

Kate and Syd riding the teacups!

This is Kate preparing for a trip on the bungy bouncer! We thought for sure she'd hate it but she loved it and wanted to do it again. When we went the next day, they got her in all the ropes and it started to rain, so she had to get off. When we tried another day, she refused! She was seriously mad that they made her get off. Oh well! That's our Kate! Sydney was quite proud of herself for learning to do frips on the bungy this year. Below are videos of Sydney's very first flip and Katelyn's very first bounce!

We really did have a super trip to Myrtle Beach and we can't wait to go again! Thanks again, Tutu and Mr. Walter!!!

Visiting the Easter Bunny!

2009-04-10T22:56:00.008-04:00

We waited until Good Friday to visit the Easter Bunny but it was totally worth the wait! Katelyn was thrilled to see him! We arrived at the mall early, thinking there would be a line. As luck would have it, no one else got the "be there early" message because we were first in line! We got to see the Easter Bunny come down the elevator. At that point, Katelyn began jumping up and down and saying to the small group of other children who had arrived, "You ready to see the Easter Bunny?" It was super cute! Both girls were thrilled to be first to meet him - not having to wait led to great photos! They also liked the pretzel sticks they got at the nearby store! Kevin and I were thrilled that we'd come a bit early, as by the time we'd finished getting our pretzels and were heading home, the line was about 20 families long!

Circus Fun

2009-04-10T22:25:00.005-04:00

As usual, the coming of Spring bring a trip to the circus! This has truly become one of our favorite family traditions. This year, we were lucky enough to have Ms. Jen join us with her neighbor, so it was even more fun.

Before the circus begins, we always enjoy the pre-show, where the kids can try on the costumes and see the performers up close. Sydney and Katelyn enjoyed a "ride on a horse".

As you can see from the photo, Katelyn's favorite part of the circus is the popcorn!

My favorite part is seeing the elephants!

Snow Day!

2009-03-02T22:02:00.014-05:00

It is March and we finally get real snow. I just figured out when the last day of the school year would be!!! I'm not complaining - it was a great snow day. I followed a full day of cheerleading on Sunday so we were a little tired anyway. And, Kate started with a runny nose so I could just keep her home. I didn't want to take her out for very long so Kevin took Sydney out for a bit this morning before he left for work. I bundled Kate up and he took her out for just a few minutes this morning.

Sydney walking through the snow!

A sledding "accident" - too much laughing can actually make a sled flip over!

The deal is Kate gets to ride back up the hill and Syd has to pull her! Both of them love it!

Kate likes to pick up the snow and try to make snowballs but it always gets stuck to her mittens.

Thanks to Ms. Debbie for the passing along Emily's old snow suit! It fits Katelyn perfectly!

"Please! One more last time!!!"

Teddy has always been our snow loving dog! Sydney took this photo!

After Kevin came home, we took the girls out again for a few trips up and down the hill along with some snow angel making!

Snow days are great!

Dora the Explorer!

2009-03-02T21:53:00.003-05:00

Well, Katelyn and I took in the Dora the Explorer show at the Hippodrome! Kately in a huge Dora fan. So, I decided this would be the perfect show for the two of us to see together. If you don't know about Dora, she is "little girl" who goes on adventures. In this case, we had to help her find her teddy bear in the City of Lost Toys. Katelyn's favorite part of the show (and every episode she watches on TV) is yelling at Swiper, the fox who is always trying to steal Dora's stuff! Seriously, Katelyn has always had a thing about knowing the owner of things so it is no surprise that she enjoys yelling "Swiper, No Swiping! Swiper, No Swiping! Swiper, No Swiping!" She's as bossy as they come and, if someone is taking something, she's the one to put them in their place. Maybe she'll pursue law enforsement! If you look carefully at the photo of her, you'll notice the black eye she received at daycare on Thursday when another little boy swung around and hit her with a toy. Clearly, she's tough enough for law enforsement! An injury like this would have set Sydney back for weeks - Katelyn barely mentioned it other than to tell me about that "Bad Boy Gavin" who got her in the eye!

Cheerleading!

2009-03-02T21:27:00.007-05:00

Cheerleading sesson continues! In the last two weekends, we've competed in Richmond and Delaware. Not exactly right around the corner but too bad either! In Richmond, our girls took 3rd place - which increased our bid to Final Destinations (the US Nationals) so our cost for the trip will be less! And, the girls were totally excited, as it really was their best finish in really tough competition! They've been promised a pizza party and, I don't know about everyone else, but Sydney is counting the days until Ms. Gerry makes that happen!!! On Sunday, our girls took 1st in Delaware. Don't get too excited - we were the only people in the division! But, Sydney was thrilled as she got to go up with several other girls and get the trophy. She's waited all year to do this and it is BIG deal to her!

Many of you have asked about the "cheerleader hair" so I posted a photo of her in perm rod hair and a picture after. Yes, it takes me at least an hour to roll it! I'm getting quicker but you can only go so fast. And, yes, I have to roll it the night before, blow dry it super dry, and take it out just before we get to competition! And, yes, Sydney doesn't mind - well, not too much! I think some of the magic has worn off a bit. The sitting for an hour or more isn't exactly fun. Saturday competitions are the hardest because I have to roll her hair after Friday night practice so we're all exhausted by the it is over. But, she sleeps on it without a problem and likes the bouncy curls.

In curlers in the car on the way to Richmond!

After curlers at the competition!

Sydney posing at the Delaware competition.

I have yet to figure out how families manage to have several children in several activities. Most of the time, Kevin stays home with Kate and I take Syd to competition. Honestly, cheerleading competitions aren't that exciting for a 2 year old! But, we took her this weekend to Delaware, knowing it was a short competition so she wouldn't be there THAT long! She watches for a while but she can only last so long without wanting to run around, dance, chase her sister, have a snack, and generally cause trouble! She tries to be good; it just isn't easy! So, here she is not being the best spectator!

Katelyn not really enjoying cheerleading!

Yes, she still sucks her thumb. We're working on it!

I'll keep you posted as to how the rest of the season goes!

Happy Birthday, Sydney!

2009-02-16T00:15:00.012-05:00

Sydney's 6th birthday has come and gone with all the excitement that birthdays usually involve at our house. We celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese this year - Sydney has always loved it there so we finally just caved in and had her party there! Honestly, we barely saw her the entire time. She just ran all over with her friends. But, she had a great time and that's what matters. Here are a few photos.

I still can't really believe that I have a 6 year old. I mean, can I seriously be that old??? Can she seriously be that old??? Where did the time go??? As I have said to many people, the days are so long sometimes. There are so many things to do that the I feel consumed by the list of tasks that must get done. Then, I realize that 6 years have gone by and can't even believe it. The days might be long but the years seem so short! So, if you'll all allow me to gush a bit about my girl, I'm going to tell you 6of things I love about my 6 year old.

1. She thinks of others! She considers other people's feelings, ask about other people, tries to take care of people. She's kind to people and always wants to do things to make others feel loved!

2. She's funny. She makes me laugh everyday with something she says, including calling her sister an "evil genius" today! Someone told me that she never laughed so much as she had since she'd had her children. Sydney and Katelyn bring such laughter into my life that I can't imagine what it was like before we had them! (Well, I do remember I slept more but I laughed less so I guess it balances out!)

3. She's creative. She's constantly making something, creating a project, dance move, show, something. While the mess makes me totally crazy, I love that she's likes to express herself in so many ways.

4. She's respectful of others! If there is anything Kevin is, it is respectful of other people. (I try but he's better!) When I see that in her, I know she's inherited one of his best qualities and that makes me happy and proud! Other adults notice that she's respectful of everyone - children and adults. She already knows that how you treat people matters and for that I am so grateful.

5. She does her best. There is no doubt she's smart. (For my teacher friends - she did great on DIBELS!) But, let's be honest here - she's no super star athlete. However, no matter what she does, she tries her very best. What more can a parent ask for?

6. She's a great big sister! Katelyn isn't exactly the easiest gal to get along with some days. (She's getting there but they don't call it the "terrible two's" for nothing!) And, even though I know Sydney feels like Katelyn wins sometimes by default because she's the baby, she always looks out for her. She celebrates her accomplishments (like going on the potty or riding her tricycle) as if they were her own. She is always willing to help her out, kiss her good night, make her a special surprise, whatever because she loves her little sister. Being an only child, I am totally amazed at that bond and I love Sydney loves Katelyn so much!

Well, I could truly go on and on but I'll stop gushing (and crying) right there! Happy 6th Birthday Sydney! I love you more every day!

Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve???

2009-01-07T20:30:00.004-05:00

As I've already mentioned, our December was filled with sickness and Christmas Eve was no exception. When I got the email from Robyn on December 23rd saying she was having emergency dental surgery, it just seemed like it was time to surrender! So, I emailed Amy, we talked, and just decided it was better if we canceled the Christmas Eve celebration. We decided we would just celebrate together on New Year's Eve. Honestly, I can't imagine having gotten together on Christmas Eve - we just weren't in good shape. But, without our festivities, Christmas just wasn't Christmas. We've celebrated Christmas Eve together every year since 1989. One year we celebrated together a different day but it just wasn't the same so we went back to Christmas Eve. We started in 11th grade at Robyn's house. (Do you remember how icy it was one night coming out of Robyn's old house??? And it was crazy cold that year!) We started with us, our moms, and the younger sisters. We have added boyfriends who became our husbands (did they ever really have a choice about it?), and 6 girls between the three of us. When people ask me about my Christmas Eve plans, I absolutely love to tell them about our tradition and most can't believe I still keep in such close contact with my high school friends. I tell them that they aren't just my high school friends; they're family! Having no siblings and really very little family, I've always felt exceptionally blessed to have been able to create an extended family with such wonderful people! I hope they know how important they are in our lives!

So, our Christmas Eve celebrations were postponed until New Year's Eve. No making reindeer food like usual - we'll get back to doing that next year! This year, we made fondue instead! This has become a mini New Year's traditions - we make fondue and celebrate the new year at 8:00 pm. This year, we were a little late - I think we celebrated at about 8:30 pm but, since this was our Christmas Eve celebration, we had to exchange presents. In order to celebrate early, we set the clocks ahead so the older girls won't realize that it isn't midnight (At least they didn't until they got to the car and read the clock out there. Robyn - I told you she'd see it!) This year, it was far too cold to bang pots and pans outside. But, thanks to hats and noise makers, we had plenty of fun celebrating inside. While it wasn't Christmas Eve, it certainly was lots of fun!

Happy New Year!!!

Christmas Eve and Day

2009-01-05T22:03:00.007-05:00

So, we were at a bit of a loss on what to do on Christmas Eve. With our usual holiday plans canceled, Sydney having strep, and I managed to get the stomach virus, we weren't exactly in peak condition! We had thought we go to our favorite Japanese restaurant but even that seemed like too much effort! Instead, we made a trip to see the Lights on the Bay. It was beautiful and a perfect Christmas Eve trip. Katelyn was so excited to see the lights and Sydney always thinks it is a great event, since she gets to get out of her booster seat. When we finished, we were all hungry and there wasn't much open at 7 pm on Christmas Eve. So, we wound up eating dinner at Denny's. Not exactly a tradition we think we'll continue but Kevin and I both agreed that it we fun. And, it really isn't about where we ate as much as that we were together and that we had fun. The girls were a hit at Denny's!

We we got home, the girls quickly got their baths and put on their special Christmas pj's. Then, we set off to make our reindeer food. It consists of oatmeal, carrots, raisins, and colored sprinkles (so the reindeer can see it). Then, we sprinkled in on the lawn - thankfully, it was a warm evening! We went back inside to put out the cookies and milk for Santa. You'll notice Santa used Daddy's new Ravens glass that he received from a co-worker. We decided Santa could be a Ravens fan! Then, we hung our stockings, sang Christmas carols around the tree (that was Sydney's idea - does it get any more Norman Rockwell???), read our stories by the tree, and went off to bed so Santa could come. It took Sydney quite some time to fall asleep but she did drift off before Santa arrived.

On Christmas morning, the girls awoke to find Santa had delivered some wonderful things. You'll see in the picture that Sydney is playing with Pop and Swap Polly Pockets, which were definitely the thing she asked for most often. Katelyn got lots of fun things for her play kitchen and her baby dolls, which are her absolute favorite toys right now.

We visited with family on Christmas day. The picture below shows the girls and their cousins - Carter (our token male in the middle), Madison (top right) and Reagan (bottom right). The girls are always thrilled to spend the day with everyone. Being with family really is the best part of the day so we were thankful that everyone was well enough and had been on antibiotics long enough to be in the clear for the visit!

Christmas was wonderful this year. And, while we'd like to be healthier next year, we have so much to be grateful for that complaining about the minor stuff seems almost silly. Every Christmas reminds me how fortunate we are to have each other and that all I really want for Christmas is to be together again next year!

Merry Christmas to All!

Pre-Holiday Happenings (and Illnesses)

2009-01-05T21:34:00.006-05:00

For those of you who have talked to me during the month of December, you already know that the girls have been excessively ill. For those of you who have, I'll fill you in! It began before we left for Disney World and continued until after Christmas. Let me see...Sydney had a brief bout with the stomach virus before we left. Both girls and Kevin coughed and sniffled their way through Disney. By the Thursday after our return, Katelyn had the stomach virus and bronchitis. Add to this that the pharmacy mislabeled her medication and Kevin accidentally gave her about 3xs the dose she should have received. She had blood work done that weekend, as she's always battled stomach issues and her doctor wants her to see a gastroenterologist. Then, she wound up with pink eye the following Tuesday. She saw her regular doctor on Tuesday and her opthamologist on Wednesday - began steroid drops that day. That afternoon, I dropped her off with Kevin's grandmother, went to a meeting at a school which is just around the corner from home, and before I could even start the meeting, Sydney's teacher was calling to tell me that she was complaining of a stomach ache and looked awful. So, after 36 hours of violent stomach pains, a trip to the doctor's, a trip to the lab for blood work, and a trip to the ER, we found out she also had a stomach virus that irritated her pre-existing stomach issues. Both girls labs came back with a few days - their antigleadin antibody levels were both abnormal so they will both see a gastroenterologist. They don't think it is serious - possibly an issue with digesting glutin but we'll have to see what the doctor says on Feb. 4th. Okay, after we got Sydney's stomach fixed, she started to complain her throat hurt. I just assumed she was getting a cold but then she ran a fever for 2 days. Back to the doctor's on Christmas Eve to find out she had strep! More antibiotics! Our Christmas Eve plans with Robyn and Amy (and company) were canceled due to illnesses but not even our illnesses! (Robyn had to have dental surgery on December 23rd.) Honestly, I was saw but relieved - we needed to just rest!!! And, just to finish off our illness story, Katelyn returned for her bronchitis follow-up only to find it back again. Another round of antibiotics! And, you won't even believe this, a different pharmacy mislabeled her medication with my name!!!

In spite of all this, we did actually manage to have some fun during the holiday season. Her are the photos of our gingerbread (or as Katelyn would say "binberhead") houses that we created at Aunt Robyn's house. This is a yearly tradition and honestly one of my favorite things to do, even though it is totally crazy! This year, Sydney created a castle and, of course, Molly helped her! Katelyn created her own house and, in keeping with Kate's style, it crashed down on itself. But, Aunt Robyn was able to fix it! When we took the houses home, I had to put them up on the countertop so Kate couldn't reach - she kept sneaking sprinkles off the plate below. Check out Sydney's super curly post-cheerleading hair! She just loves it!

We also baked cookies with Tutu. This is another yearly tradition but we had a change of location. This year, we baked cookies at our house instead of Tutu's since she's moved most of her things to her new home. We learned that, while Sydney still enjoys making cookies, she doesn't enjoy the decorating quite the way she did before. HOWEVER, Katelyn loves it! She would have thrown sprinkles everywhere!!! She will be ready to go next year when we make cookies in Myrtle Beach at Tutu's new house!!!

I know I'm late getting the holiday posts but they're coming. I don't just want to skip the holidays and, since there isn't anything going on for the next few weeks, I should be able to get caught up a bit. That is, if we can stay healthy!

Disney World - Part I

2008-12-11T21:29:00.019-05:00

Hello to everyone. As you can imagine, we've been pretty busy since our return from Disney World. I have said to many of you members of the "12 month working world" that I seriously don't know how people go on vacation and return to work just a few days later. Ugh!!! We're seriously exhausted! Add to that the girls have been sick nonstop since we returned and getting to blogging has been low priority.

Now that I'm done complaining, let me tell you we had an amazing trip. There are so many highlights that I hardly know where to begin. I'll cover my absolute favorite thing about going in December - it isn't HOT! You don't SWEAT! And, you aren't EXHAUSTED before you even start in the morning. My second favorite thing - NO CROWDS! Seriously, I've only ever been to WDW in the summer and, while the trips have been amazing, we're always hot, sweaty, exhausted, and elbow deep in crowds by 9 am every morning. Not this time!!! The weather wasn't as predictable and way more difficult to dress for (as you will, we're in shorts some days, pants other) but it was so much nicer than dripping with sweat. We had a few warm days of shorts, a day of rain, one really cold day, but mostly just cool days with jackets in the morning and evening and short sleeves in the afternoon. Perfect if you ask me.

We arrived on Black Friday and started the trip by visiting Downtown Disney. We knew it would be too late to visit parks that night but we were anxious to do something! The weather was warm and it was fairly crowded so we didn't stay long - just enough time to check it out, pick up a few things we knew we wanted, and head back to the hotel to get a good night's sleep. We stayed at Carribean Beach again this year and, as before, absolutely loved it. We had a room close to the food court, shopping, and a playground, so it was great! And, while we didn't get to enjoy it because it was too cold, they have completely redone their pool area. It was amazing to see the change in just a year!

On Saturday, we headed to Animal Kingdom. While it is always one of our favorite places to visit, it is usually so muggy that we can't stand to stay long. Not this time! It was perfect weather - warm enough for fun without being hot! The girls loved Dinoland. Katelyn noticed that the huge dinosaur was wearing a Santa hat so she had to point this out each time we passed by him that day and the other day we visited AK. Sydney's favorite part was "It's a Bug's Life" - the 3-D bug adventure and Katelyn's favorite part was meeting Pluto and Goofy. It was our first character experience of the trip and she was absolutely thrilled to meet two characters that she knows so well. She really didn't want to leave them. Kevin and I really love the African Safari so that was definitely our favorite part of the day!

We decided to take in the sites at Epcot that night and we were totally amazed at the lights! Everything was so beautiful - we could hardly believe it. There really aren't words to describe it. We ate dinner at The Garden Grill where we Katelyn was again in her glory, as met Chip, Dale, Mickey, and Goofy (again). As you can see by the photos, Katelyn absolutely loved the characters but especially liked Mickey Mouse. When he snuck up on her, she was totally surprised and thrilled to meet him. The pictures below show how happy she truly was to meet them! The pictures also so her decided lack of enthusiasm when meeting Santa and Mrs. Claus in Epcot. In her defense, it was late and she was pretty tired. But, Sydney was thrilled to have them autograph her book - so much so that she couldn't really remember what she wanted for Christmas. Honestly, it was a pretty short list this year!

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Okay, I've only managed to tell you about the first day and this has taken me two weeks to write! Oh well - seriously, I don't think I'll ever be able to tell you about the entire trip. But, here is a link to SOME of the photos from our trip. I have more than 1,000 so I tried to go through them but I still wound up with about 300 pictures in this album. Anyway, we you some time, check out our trip highlights. I'll try to post a few more details when I can!!!

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=ee718e7bd09c207d&sid=8QatGLRu0aM84

Seriously Cute Videos

2008-11-16T22:28:00.008-05:00

Okay, we're big fans of Camp Rock. The movie is in our mini-van's DVD player so we watch it at least once a week. So, it is no surprise that Sydney knows the words to the songs. But, when Katelyn started singing along, we couldn't help but giggle. Hope you enjoy!!!

Girls Rule!!!

2008-10-28T22:10:00.005-04:00

Here's Katelyn welcoming Abby to her first "Girls Only Halloween Party!"

Once again, the Girls Only Halloween Party was a hit! As usual, we made several crafts. This year, we made modge-podge jars. We used canning jars and the girls glued tissue paper on them to create either a pumpkin, ghost, or black cat. (I'd like to send a big thanks to Ms. Irene for supplying the jars. They were perfect and we can't wait to make some more for Christmas. We'll gladly take more jars!!!) We also made Halloween cards and decorated a pumpkin using foam cut outs.

Sydney & Molly (BFF's) making identical jars!

Emma creating her own jar!

Melody working on her jar!

Some finished products!

Katelyn, Alyssa, and Katie making cards!

This year, the weather put a damper on our usually festive neighborhood parade. The skies threatened all day and we thought we simply wouldn't be able to go outside at all. However, we were able to quickly parade down about half the block but had to make a quick return as the rain was approaching. Thankfully, we made it back inside because the heavy rain began about 10 minutes later!

Katelyn walking with Aunt Amy and Abby!

Crossing the road in the rain.

As usual, we enjoyed some tasty treats. Aunt Robyn supplied the pumpkin cupcakes!

I think the best part for the girls was getting to play together. Since they couldn't go outside, they had time to play in the playroom, dressing up and having fun. They also went downstairs to play in the playhouse. Once they officially put on their costumes, they conducted a fashion show down the stairs so we could check out each one of them. Below is the group photo following the parade. As you can see, we managed to get everyone in!

As always, we can't wait for next year!!!

Pumpkin Patch Fun!

2008-10-12T22:09:00.012-04:00

We're Here!

The pigs were enjoying their pumpkin breakfast! They were looking for the seeds!!!
Katelyn jumping on the hay!

We took our annual trip to North Run Farm and again enjoyed the corn maze, hay ride, and pumpkin patch. It was a beautiful, warm day but, thankfully, we started early in the morning. We begain with visiting the animals and checking out the hay!

The corn maze was more challenging this year than last year (or, at least more challenging for us). Last year, there had been very little rain so the corn was dry and we could see through it easily. This year, with the rain we've received, the corn was tall, green, and perfect for the path!

Sydney, Molly, and Emma on the path.

Kevin punching the cards at one stop. (Notice Molly's crossed arms...)

We also had a few tears along the way - mainly from the tired children. Molly cried because she couldn't punch her own hole in her card and Katelyn cried because I wouldn't hold her through the ENTIRE walk! We should have taken the stroller!!!

We finished up the day by picking our pumpkins. It took no time for Katelyn to find one she liked. Sydney took a bit longer. But, we managed to pick two great pumpkins from the patch and a third huge one from the barn!

This is NOT the huge pumpkin we bought!

Cheer Girls!

2008-10-12T21:28:00.006-04:00

Sydney's cheerleading squad marched in the local parade and, much like we're used to by this point, it rained. The picture above is of Sydney, Hailey, and Jenna before the parade. You will notice the bright sunshine - it looked beautiful and was HOT for a late September day!

But, that all changed just as we began to march. The sky turned dark and, before long, the rain began. It wasn't just a little rain - it absolutely poured! Check out the photos below!

Before the Rain!

As the rain began!

As the pouring rain continued!

But, the rain didn't stop us from performing for the judges. Check out our girls in action!

WE ROCK!

Go Ravens!

2008-09-15T21:34:00.006-04:00

As if the first day of school wasn't exciting enough, Sydney attended her first Ravens game that very night. It was the last preseason game (okay - I'm a little behind on blog entries) and Daddy was able to get tickets from work. Syd enjoyed sitting in a sky box suite with all the snacks she could want. She loved talking with Ms. Jen from Daddy's office and was impressed that the Ravens have their own cheerleaders. (We realized she never saw them on television!) Check out the pictures of her big night at the game!

Happy Birthday, Katelyn!

2008-09-02T21:48:00.008-04:00

Okay, I'm soooo far behind but we did indeed celebrate Katelyn's 2nd birthday with a super party at the house. We held a "Little Einsteins Carnival" complete with fun games and prizes. Aunt Robyn made an adorable rocket cake, which Katelyn loved. Since we'd been singing "Happy Birthday" for several weeks, she was all ready to blow out the candles and eat that cake! She loved opening presents, though she was a bit disappointed that she couldn't actually open each present and play with at that very minute. But, she was thrilled to pull them all out with Sydney after the party!!!!

The Start of Something New...

2008-08-28T09:37:00.012-04:00

Well, it is official - Sydney is in kindergarten! I can hardly believe it. (I know - every parent says that but it really is true.) As I have told several people, sending her to kindergarten has been more emotional for me than pre-k last year because, even though it was school, she was at Park - a school I taught at for many years and have always considered home. And she was with Tutu for morning and afternoon care. The deal couldn't have been better! I also knew that, if for some crazy reason it wasn't working out, I could take her out and put her back with Mum!

But, kindergarten brings a new school without the comfort level for MOM! I know some people on the staff but only casually because of my job. No longer will she be in a place I consider my home and she'll have to find her own way without my assistance. She won't be a little star because she's with Tutu each morning and her mommy worked there. She'll have to be a star all on her own! While these things are good for her - I'm sure she'll do a great job and she's at a fantastic school - it was still a bit hard to send her off into that unknown!

Of course, Sydney loved the first day of Kindergarten (and the second day, too)! She made new friends, met new people, and really loved having a locker just like the big kids. I'm sure this "start of something new" will prove to be great!

My Fair Girls!

2008-08-28T09:26:00.005-04:00

It is sad but true...summer has ended! Well, not the summer season but summer vacation. So, to celebrate summers last moments, we visited the state fair! This has become an annual tradition for us, as we love to see the animals, ride the rides, and enjoy the yummy snacks! This year, Katelyn was a bit too small to ride most rides and she was not pleased about this - she is such the ride lover. She was able to get on the dump truck ride and, as you can see by the big smile, it was a hit.

Sydney was able to enjoy many rides and activities. Her favorite was the Monkey Maze, which I think we did 4 times! She also insisted on trying the rope ladder game, which wasn't nearly as easy as she thought it would be!

As always, the fair turned out to be a great way to unofficial wrap up summer vacation!

Mytle Beach Adventures

2008-07-31T21:19:00.017-04:00

We again visited Myrtle Beach this year. We stayed in South Myrtle this year and enjoyed a slighly quieter trip. The forecast called for rain the first day so we decided to skip the beach and head for the Children's Museum. Sydney loved it there during our last trip and it was a hit again this time. Katelyn loved it!!! She loved running all over, trying everything out, and just having fun. There is a picture of her making pizza in the kids' kitchen below. Sydney enjoyed standing inside a huge bubble. Check out that video below.

After enjoying a trip to the museum, we visited Barefoot Landing. It is one of our favorite "hang outs." We love walking around, feeding the fish, visiting the shops and riding the merry-go-round. But, this year Sydney was really brave and tried the bungy jumping. We never expected her to want to do it but she did. And, while she was definitely nervous about the jumping, she enjoyed it and wanted to do it again! Here's a photo of the girls feeding the fish and a video of Sydney bouncing!

We visited a new place - Broadway at the Beach! It sort of reminds me of Downtown Disney, as there are tons of shops and things to do. The big event here was Sydney getting in the "water hampster ball." I DID NOT think she'd ever try this one! But, she proved me wrong again. While she wasn't able to stand up, she liked floating on the water. Everyone around us was totally amazed that she did it at all. Check out our brave girl!

Katelyn's favorite part of Broadway was the Ripley's Aquarium. She loved the shark tanks that you can walk through.

And, once the rain finally stopped, we enjoyed two great beach days! As usual, Sydney loved the beach. She loves to get in the water and jump those waves. She also loves to build in the sand. Katelyn wasn't quite as big a fan of the sand, as she called it "yucky dirty" most of the time. But, she did like collecting shells and burying them in sand.

Katelyn's favorite part of the trip was the pool. She asked to go every time we walked into our room, so we definitely visited the pool often! Katelyn loved going under the water and floating on the lazy river. Unfortunately, we don't have a single pool photo. We were just too busy having fun. We really had a great vacation and can hardly believe it is over! Time definitely flies when you're having fun.

Beach Preview

2008-07-22T18:16:00.003-04:00

Last week, we enjoyed dinner at Mr. Dan and Ms. Leslie's house, which is right on the water and has the most amazing view! (Thanks so much for hosting a fun "work" dinner.) After a short walk, we were able to visit the pier and get a quick "beach preview" by walking in the sand. As usual, Sydney loved it. Katelyn thought the sand was "Yucky dirty" but she loved entertaining everyone at dinner. Thanks to Ms. Jen for taking our family photo! Check out the enormous tree that is right in the middle of the deck! The girls loved running around it. We wish we lived there!!!

The Girls of Summer

2008-07-06T21:27:00.010-04:00

We continued our newest annual tradition by taking in a Bay Sox game. As we did last year, we attended on Louie's (the team mascot) birthday. Honestly, I was a bit worried about Katelyn - I just didn't think she'd make it through the game. But, we learned something very valuable from our recent trip to see the movie WALL-E - don't sit down in your seats or give her any snacks until the event actually begins! Otherwise, the novelty wears off before you even get started! So, we visited the Kids Park at Bay Sox stadium. I don't know who designed this but they definitely have families in mind. There are rides for the kids so both Sydney and Katelyn were able to work off some energy before the game got started. Katelyn loved the merry-go-round while Sydney loved the moon bounce.

As it turned out, Katelyn was thrilled to watch all the mascots that came out to help Louie celebrate his birthday. She spent most of the game searching the stands for Louie and enjoying snacks! She really didn't get too squirmy until the very end. I don't know who on the Bay Sox hit the grand slam home run that put us ahead by 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th inning but he's is my hero. Not only did he give us something to cheer about but he also made it so we wouldn't have to sit through the bottom of the 9th hoping for a win!

When the game ended, we enjoyed the fireworks display that the Bay Sox put on almost every weekend home game. This was way easier than fighting the crowds somewhere to see the fireworks on the 4th. Then, Sydney was able to run the bases, which is always one of her favorite parts. We think Katelyn will be ready to run next year! She might have run this year but we were afraid we wouldn't be able to catch her if she got away!

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-06T21:19:00.003-04:00

We enjoyed a quiet 4th of July with Mom-mom and Aunt Debbie. While the rain threatened to ruin the backyard fireworks (all legal ones, just in case you're wondering), we managed to have a small show in the backyard. Sydney was very excited about celebrating this year. She wanted to be certain to wear her festive hair pom-poms. Katelyn was happy to wish everyone, "Happy July."

Squash Anyone???

2008-07-06T21:13:00.003-04:00

Well, for several weeks Daddy (with some help from Sydney) has worked hard to keep our backyard garden going. This is no easy task, as the neighborhood bunnies are trying to eat the veggies before they even get a chance to grow! But, we have managed to grow one huge squash, as you can see from this pictures! We think Katelyn looks like she's playing the squash guitar!

Zootastic Day!

2008-07-02T09:59:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, we enjoyed one of the best perks of being off in the summer - day trips! The weather was amazingly cool, which made for a perfect zoo day! We decided to take Sydney's boyfriend (yes, everyone knows about him), Morgan, with us. He couldn't have been nicer and they absolutely loved seeing the animals. Sydney and Morgan really are the best of friends and get along so well. Katelyn enjoyed seeing animals. She loves to say "Hi" to each and every one as we walk along. Her favorite part was brushing the goats. She had to brush each on at least once. We wouldn't want to leave anyone out!

Just as an update - Sydney visited the specialist again to have her height checked and all is well. She remained in the 25th percentile and, since that is consistent with where she was 6 months ago, there is no need for any future concern at this point. Her doctor and I will continue to chart her growth just to be certain we all have accurate measurements. So, thankfully, it looks like she'll just be a short girl! We'll take that any day!!!

Fishing for Fun!

2008-07-02T09:53:00.002-04:00

Sydney enjoyed another fun-filled fishing trip with Daddy this year. Old Pop also went along for what proved to be a great day. Syd absolutely loves fishing - once Daddy told her they were going, it was all she could talk about. She has her own rod, chair, and fishing hat! As you can see, she did catch some but she let them all go. Just means there are more to catch next time!

Good-bye Pre-Kindergarten

2008-07-01T22:19:00.009-04:00

Sydney and Tutu on the first and last days of Pre-Kindergarten!

Well, the school year is over and we are in full summer mode here! Sydney finished out pre-kindergarten with a wonderful final "progress report." And, after taking her for her kindergarten testing, I know for certain that she knows all her upper and lower case letters as well as all the sounds. She can also recognize numbers 1 - 10. The teacher testing her said "I don't really need to do these, do I? Your mommy would be sad if you didn't know these. She likes math, right?" So, once Syd confirmed that she did indeed know the numbers, she declared "I can count to 100 too!" That's my girl!!!

I can't say enough about her year in pre-k. Thanks to Tutu yet again for stepping up and helping us out! We couldn't have done it without you! Sydney loved her classmates, the teachers and adults at her school, "workshop time" (center time) and especially her extra time each day with Tutu. But, she is also excited to go to her new school, make some new friends, and attend before and after care with some "old" friends.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2008-06-03T21:09:00.004-04:00

After months of preparation, Sydney and Daddy finally planted the garden! They have planted watermelon, carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes to name just a few! Now, if we can only figure out how to keep the neighborhood bunnies from eating all our delicious plants, we'll be in good shape!

While Daddy and Sydney plant, Mommy and Katelyn play! Since Katelyn isn't quite old enough for playing in the garden (she does enjoy the "rock garden" in our front lawn), we spend our time playing inside. Her she is pushing White Bear in the stoller. Can you say, "Watch Out?"

Hoppy, Healthy Easter!

2008-03-26T20:26:00.018-04:00

As promised, I'm sending along an Easter entry. We had a wonderful Easter - such a switch from last year. As some of you may remember, Katelyn was battling ear infections from December through June of 2006/2007. Easter was yet another day of yuck - she was exhausted, medicated, and just a mess. But, as you can see from the photo - what a difference a year makes! Gone are the ear infections, snotty noses, antibiotics, and just plain misery. This year, Katelyn enjoyed all the Easter fun a near 20-month old could handle! While she didn't quite get the whole "hunting for eggs" concept, she liked cracking open the plastic ones to see what treasures were to be found inside. In the photo, she is enjoying a turn on her cousin's new car. She really is getting to be too much. She is putting two words together constantly and is now even putting three words together occasionally. She loves to say things like "Daddy's cup" and "Mommy's coat." You'll see her language skills in this video, along with her bunny nose, which Mum taught her at daycare. The video is cute but I hate listening to myself in it so just disregard my voice and focus on Katelyn!

Sydney was thrilled to receive tons of treats from the Easter Bunny and loved hunting for eggs. She was even invited to an Easter party at a friend's house, which was lots of fun. But, she really loved dying eggs, both at home and at school. Her creativity really shines through when she's doing a project.

Both girls had their check-ups with the doctor this week and, at this point, both seem to be doing well in the growth and development department. Some of you know that Sydney is seeing a pediatric endocrinologist because she has delayed bone age. If you weren't aware - sorry I failed to mention it - it all happened around the holidays and I can never be sure who I told and who I missed! Anyway, both girls maintained the same percentiles that they were at 4 months ago, which is good news. (Sydney is 25th percentile for height; Katelyn is 40th percentile for height - gotta love our short girls!!!) Sydney will revisit the specialist in June for another check, at which time she'll make any recommendations so I'll keep you posted. As for other areas, both Katelyn and Sydney excel in language development - no surprises there! Our doctor was amazed at Katelyn's memory and physical skills. And Sydney showed her own memory skills as she repeated the story of how I put Katelyn's ear drops in her eye! (My doctor admitted to doing the same thing to her own niece once so I felt a bit better.) Otherwise, the visit was uneventful. Katelyn will continue on lactose-free milk indefinitely - we'll just have to wait and see if that issue resolves itself in the future!

We're happy to report that March is ending, which means an end to Kevin's more than a month of extra-late evenings at work. But, his graduate courses continue so he's still busy all the time. He definitely works hard but his girls are very proud of him!

I think that's all to report. We don't have any major events coming up for a bit, so I probably won't update for a while. Happy Spring to Everyone!

Our Budding Artist

2008-03-23T21:12:00.005-04:00

We are thrilled to report that Sydney's artwork was recently featured at our local public library. The art teachers at several area schools were allowed to select projects to display during Youth Art Month and Sydney's "Very Hungry Caterpillar" was selected to represent pre-kindergarten. We were invited to attend her "showing," along with the other artists and enjoyed cookies and punch! It really was too much fun and we couldn't be prouder of her efforts in all areas of school! In addition to excelling at art, she is has learned 11 sight words and is thrilled to be learning to read. Since I'm a math teacher, I feel I must mention that she is doing a wonderful job with sorting, patterning, rote counting, and making sets!
The Artist and Her Work

Sydney's Masterpiece!

Elmo and Our Ice Princess

2008-02-24T21:22:00.007-05:00

How can 4 weeks go by so quickly? I can hardly believe that February is nearly over. As many of you know, we experienced a mild ice storm on Friday, so we enjoyed a surprise day off. We spent most of the day in pj's, so it was fun! But, I'm not hoping for any more days off - I'm looking forward to a nice long summer vacation!!!
As some of you know, Sydney took ice skating lessons this month. She attended a birthday party and absolutely loved it so we thought we'd give it a try. I have to admit, she isn't great - she's so afraid to fall down she won't move in the single blades. But, in double blade skates, she is more confident. And, no matter which skates she's wearing, she loves it! I mean, sometimes she barely moves during the half-hour lesson and she still can't wait to go again. She isn't a born risk-taker, so this is HUGE for her and I couldn't be more proud of her efforts. She wants to continue at the indoor rink so we're looking into it. We'll keep you posted!

And, while we're on the topic of LOVE, we attended a cousin's birthday party on Saturday and Katelyn was thrilled to meet Elmo. While other kids were afraid at first, she wasn't at all! She just wanted Elmo to hold her the whole time. We can call her many things, but we can't call her shy!

Daisy Valentines!

2008-02-13T20:20:00.012-05:00

Okay, so it is a silly title but it fits. Sydney officially earned 4 petals as a Daisy Girl Scout today! We're so proud of her, as she just joined Girl Scouts in December and learned her promise very quickly. Check out her video below!

Daddy wasn't able to attend the ceremony due to school but Tutu was available and both Sydney and Katelyn were thrilled to see her! Thanks Tutu!!! We love you!
Following the ceremony, the Daisy Troop celebrated with a Valentine's Eve party! There were plenty of goodies to go around. Their troop leader did a great job!

And, just in case you need a little help getting in the Valentine's Day spirit, here are two photo of Katelyn that I took as she sat inside a little wooden table at our house. She really just is too much!

Happy Valentine's Day to Everyone!

Happy Birthday, Sydney!

2008-02-09T22:45:00.002-05:00

It really seems impossible that Sydney is already 5 years old! When I think about all the amazing things she's done in the last 5 years, I can't help but smile. But, when I think about how quickly 5 years has passed by, I can't help but feel sad. I don't think I ever really understood how quickly life can pass by until I had the girls. All too quickly days turn to weeks, months, and years! Thankfully, children are completely oblivious to all this and are just excited about another PARTY! And what a party it was!!! Sydney was thrilled to host a "High School Musical" themed pool party. And, while not everyone could be there (some of our friends were just too busy having fun in Disney World - you know who you are!), we had quite a good time. The kids seemed to enjoy swimming in the winter, even if the adults didn't love getting in their suits. Sydney was thrilled to play with her friends and loved all her birthday presents. (Thank you cards will be going out very soon!) Thank you to everyone, whether you were there in person or spirit, for making her 5th birthday so special. Sydney is blessed to have so many people who love her and she definitely knows it!

Holiday Highlights, Part II

2008-01-17T22:21:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm determined to finish the holiday highlights! So, here I go!

Christmas morning was pretty typical. Sydney woke us up around 7 am (we told her she couldn't get up until it was like outside). We got Katelyn up, let Daddy go downstairs to start the video camera, and headed down the steps. Katelyn had no idea what was going on but Sydney was ready for action. She quickly realized that the packages had tags and, since she can recognize names, she could sort the packages for each person. She was most excited to receive her American Girl doll. She's wanted one for quite some time but we insisted that she needed to be 5 years old. Since she was a month short, we told her Santa would probably make an exception for such a responsible girl. Santa delivered Kit, along with a set of matching pj's for Kit and Sydney, and a few other doll items. Since she'd already received the Kit books, she was thoroughly excited about finally have an American Girl doll of her own. Katelyn was clueless! But, she loved playing with the toys once they were out of the boxes. She loved her Bounce and Spin Zebra and her Elmo Vacuum. But she really just loved all the excitement of the day.

We spent Christmas day visiting family. The girls were spoiled by everyone, as always. The wagon from Old Pop was a big hit - it is currently in our dining room, where Katelyn gets in a says "Weeeee" so we'll pull her around the house. Since Sydney had been running a fever for several days, we wrapped up our Christmas visiting early and headed home so everyone could head to bed. And, in spite of Sydney being sick, it was still our best Christmas yet!

After Christmas, there additional visits and fun all through New Year's, which we celebrated at our house with friends. Since we celebrated at around 8 pm, the kids enjoyed the fun without any disruption to their schedules. This was the first time we'd tried this and I absolutely loved it. Before our friends arrived, we got everyone ready for the "late" night by getting our pj's on. We had a fondue dinner - our new year's tradition that we began last year! Then, as the evening wound down, we counted down, set off fireworks, went out on the front steps to blow our horns, and made our grape juice toasts. Then, we cleaned up and had everyone in bed by 9 pm. Ahhh!!! While it was a bit strange not to have the hoopla at midnight, it was nice to not be completely exhausted the next day. And the girls had no idea they didn't ring in the new year at the official time. It was such fun that I think we'll always celebrate it this way!

We took down all our Christmas decorations and packed them away during the weekend after the new year. This is a task I'm usually anxious to do each year, as I'm usually desparate to get the house back to normal. However, I wasn't quite so happy take everything down this year. I guess it just didn't seem like the holidays should have been over so quickly. But, I forced myself to take them all down and put them away. And I am grateful to have the house back in order, even if I'm sad that the holidays are over.

That about wraps it up! My next post will be about Sydney's birthday and I'm learning to add pictures, videos, etc. If you want to see a more creative blog, as well as read some details about Sydney's trip to the Hannah Montana concert, check out my friend Kacey's blog! She was about to get 4 tickets so she took Sydney along with her twins! They had great fun.

Wrapping Up the Holidays, Part I

2008-01-05T23:06:00.000-05:00

My plan was to get my blog going during the holidays. But, as with most holidays, the time went by far too quickly. I find it hard to believe that all the festivities are over and 2008 is in full swing! At our house, the decorations are still up - the thought of taking them down completely overwhelms me. I'm not sure if I'm refusing to admit that the holidays are really over or just too lazy to take on the clean-up! So, instead of packing up things tonight, I'm blogging our holiday wrap-up. This is Part I, which will go through Christmas Eve!

We had a wonderful holiday season. I have to admit that I felt less stress this year than in years past - maybe because I'm stopped stressing quite so much about the gift giving aspect. But, it doesn't mean we did fewer things. I always have a long list of holiday events that I want to each year and, while I never get to everything, I felt like we did the things I really wanted to do and that I knew the kids would enjoy. While Katelyn doesn't understand much this year, she did recognize Santa and learned to say "Ho, ho, ho!" We started teaching her that months early just so she'd be ready! She also enjoyed looking at holiday lights and pulling all the decorations off the bottom two feet of the Christmas tree! Sydney loved everything, which is really no surprise. Her joyous spirit shines through during the holiday season! She loves the lights, decorations, projects, wrapping - everything!

This year, we made our first holiday visit to Hershey Park. We spent the weekend taking in the sights, having breakfast with Santa, and touring the chocolate factory. We're were lucky enough to spend some time with Kevin's sister, her husband, and their two girls. We loved seeing them but wish the weather would have cooperated so we could have spent more time touring the park with them - maybe next year! Sydney's favorite part was going on the chocolate tour ride. She loved it and still talks about it. It was so much fun that we're already planning next year's trip!

We continued our tradition of creating gingerbread houses. After 3 years of doing this, I think we've gotten the hang of it! The girls are always anxious to get started and, as the girls get older, the houses are more "kid created" than adult created! The girls really do love decorating the houses - and eating decorations along the way.

The weekend just prior to Christmas was especially exciting. Sydney's Girl Scout Troop sang Christmas carols at a local nursing home. Afterwards, she and I went for our holiday haircuts. Since Sydney had about 4 inches of hair cut off, it was quite a big deal! And, made her look like quite the big girl!!! We also continued our cookie baking tradition at a good friend's house. It is always a special day for Sydney, as she loves decorating special cookies for Santa. This year, she learned to make a special "ch,ch,ch" sound when she cuts her cookies. It was quite funny!

As usual, we spent Christmas Eve with my friends from high school and their children. It was especially fun, as all three of us now have kids - a total of 6 girls, ranging from 8 years to 3 months, and 0 boys!!! What are the odds of that??? We did a craft, made our reindeer food, and exchanged presents. I especially love this night and I'm so grateful that I have I still see my high school best friends and their families! When the evening festivities were done, we went home to get ready for Santa. We put on our pj's and hit the front lawn to put out the reindeer food. (It has been warm enough the last two years that we don't even have to wear a coat outside for this!) Then, we hang our stockings, read our Christmas stories, and put out the cookies and milk for Santa. The girls were both exhausted so they fell asleeep within minutes!

The Christmas Day and New Year's details will follow soon!

Welcome to Our Blog

2007-12-24T23:22:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm jumping in to the blogging world, basically at the inspiration of my co-worker and good friend! (K - thanks for encouraging me to post "the good things"!) I thought that the holidays would be a great opportunity to share what's been going on with us. I'll post holiday highlights in my next blog entry!