Thursday, June 28, 2007

Magic Hats!!

Alright - just a quick little story to share. =) I took the girls to the library today before playgroup and while we were in the check out line Keslie took off and started running around a bookshelf. She would run and hide and then peak her head around and smile really big. It was cute and obnoxious at the same time. I couldn't hold her because I had a huge stack of books in my arms so she just kept escaping. The last time she ran around the shelf she slammed into it and got a pretty good bonk. Poor girl! Anyway - as I was leaving this woman with a blue hat came up to me and said "You know, if you would just put a hat on them that wouldn't happen." and I said "She wouldn't run into bookshelves?" and she said "well that and they wouldn't misbehave and act out like that in public." I told her that they wouldn't keep a hat on. And she said "well, you just have to get one that ties under their chin or something because a hat will help them to behave."

SO - apparently if I put hats on the girls they will stand right by my side and say "yes mam" and never act like toddlers are inclined to act again! SWEET! Why hasn't anyone told me this before???

I really had a hard time not laughing in her face. I smiled the whole time but I really wanted to ask her if she had EVER had kids. She didn't look like the kind of lady that would have kids. So - I just don't think she has a CLUE what she was talking about.

The one thing that gets on my nerves more than anything else is when someone - stranger or not - tries to tell me how I should be discipling my children or infers that I'm not doing it "right".

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

MAN ALIVE!!!

Our little thermometer in our house read 91.3 degrees today!! This is INSIDE our house!! Yeah - we were all burning alive. I made Nathan help me set up the air conditioners as soon as he walked in the door! I wish we had one for every room. Especially the kitchen. =) Anyway - I just wanted to whine about that. =)

Thomas the Train at Six Flags New England

We had such a fun day yesterday!!! It was the opening of the new Thomas and friends world at six flags and we got invited to go! Not only was it a blast, but it was totally free!! We wore little VIP badges and the kids got their pictures taken for the newspaper! I'm kicking myself because I have NO idea what newspaper was doing the interview. We rode all the little rides in Thomas town and then headed over to the Wiggles world!! Anika was SO excited! The Wiggles are a new favorite of hers lately. We were so excited when we saw the little splash pad - it was MISERABLY hot yesterday! The water was a total lifesaver. All of us moms got to ride the big SUPERMAN rollercoaster and it was AWESOME!!! It was the best ride ever and my throat was raw afterwards from screaming so loud. We also got to see a little Wiggles friends show and it was great to dance to 'HOT POTATO' and 'ROCK A BYE YOUR BEAR' and 'CAN YOU DANCE LIKE WAGS THE DOG?' - and other songs that any Wiggles fan knows. I was dancing more than Anika - I think she was tired. It was such a fantastic day! The girls were SO tired - they fell asleep almost as soon as I had buckled them into their car seats. Here are a couple of group pictures and then the rest I'm going to put in a bubbleshare album so that this post isn't a mile long! We went with Sumer and her boys - Richard Scott and David and Amy and her kids Peter and Abby.






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Monday, June 25, 2007

Bird Feeders and updates

Today for our craft we made pine cone bird feeders! I don't know if Keslie really gets these crafts - she's just along for the ride! At first she just ate the peanut butter. She did help me a little bit - especially with the bird seed part. Anika did hers almost all by herself. Afterwards, we watched some hummingbird videos on youtube and then had a picnic on the porch so that we could see if we had any takers. So far I don't think we've had a nibble but I'm sure the birds will find them!










We had a really busy, fun weekend! We spent the day in Boston on Friday and then that evening we watched GHOST RIDER. It was alright. Nicholas Cage just really lacks in the talent department sometimes. He redeemed himself the next night though (I'll get there!). The next morning was a Saturday morning so OBVIOUSLY we went tag selling. We found a little bike and a kids grocery cart and some books. Anika tripped and skinned her knee really bad. She's still talking about it! After we finished up with tag sales we headed to the park for a picnic with our friends! It was so fun visiting with everyone. That evening we went over to Richard and Sumer's house for ice-cream, games and a movie. We watching NATIONAL TREASURE - and Nicholas Cage actually does a good job! We love that movie! Sumer made HOMEMADE tortilla chips and salsa and it was DIVINE!! Oh my gosh - I don't know if I can ever go back to plain old out of the bag chips! It was so fun! On Sunday evening the young men's presidency and their families had a BBQ at the YM's president's house. The food was delicious and it was really fun to get to know these people better. We knew it was time to go when Keslie came up to us and was snuggling with somebody's PJ pants. She was SOOO tired! She slept in until 8:30 today! Anyway - that was our weekend! We are going on a fun little outing tomorrow so I'm sure I'll be posting some pictures! See ya!

The Boston Children's Museum

Last Friday we went with some of our friends to Boston to check out the Children's museum! It is AWESOME! We didn't even get to see everything because it was so huge. We will definitely have to plan another trip very soon!

We had our first train adventure! Actually, it was the subway.=) It's cheaper to park and then ride the train in. We had a little walk from the station to the museum, but it was a beautiful day! I wish I had brought my stroller with me - Keslie starts to feel like a million pounds after awhile! Anyway - here we are on the train!



Some of the girl's favorite things at the museum were:

Laying underneath the turtle tank and looking at the turtles.



Playing in the golf ball room. They had tons of little roller coaster things set up that the kids could put the balls on and then watch them go.




The bubble room!! Need I say more? Kids love bubbles!




The construction room. I kept losing Keslie and I would find her hiding out in the middle of these black tube things they had everywhere! They had so many cool blocks and trucks.





The City room. This one was fun - they had all sorts of different shops. Anika's favorite was the grocery store. You could load up your basket with all sorts of food and then take it to the cash register. There was also a salon that had a little station that would take a picture and then show you what you'd look like with different hairstyles. Anika would not look right with dreadlocks. =) The kids were pretty much pooped by the time we got to the city room so after we finished we headed downstairs and ate at Au Bon Pain for lunch.



As we started walking to the station the skies opened and the rains came down! I thought it was great fun! Here is a picture of us once we reached the subway. I love it when you can tell I'm talking in pictures. =)



There was TONS of traffic driving home so it took us a lot longer - I was glad to have Suzanne's company! I'm sure Jenn will post some pictures of the Boston trip pretty soon if you want to see some of the other kids that were there!

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

This Post Is Rated "PG-13" For Some Nudity

Dang it all! I wasn't going to post this because I didn't know if it was appropriate but it's just too darn funny not to share! Right after Kelyn and the boys left Anika drew this picture:



We will probably have to steer clear of group baths at the next visit. Haha!!

Little Orphan Keslie

Keslie's curls are out of control! It's very cute - but last night her hair was a bit wild. =)



Here is another picture of my little monkey! They each ate about 3 bananas and Anika was jumping around acting like a monkey. I couldn't get her to hold still for a picture! Anyway - isn't she pretty?



I thought of some things that she's doing that I haven't written down yet. She is TOTALLY into helping me clean. When I vaccum she gets one of her rolling toys and "vaccumns" along with me - same with sweeping. What a helper! Her very favorite book right now is Animal Hide-and-seek. She wants it read over and over and loves making the animal sounds. I have to say that her animal noises are the funniest ones I've ever heard! It's SOO cute! I'll get some video footage soon.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Anika just woke up and the first thing she said was "maybe later I can get a doggie with a waggoly tail". I wish we could get her a doggie!

I can hardly stand it.

So, lately I've been feeling like the girls are growing way too fast! It's been fun to look at old pictures and remember things. I found this little video of Anika and the lighting is bad but I can't believe Keslie is at the age Anika was in the video. It's so WEIRD. I hope I never forget their sweet little voices and facial expressions. It makes me feel overwhelmed - like I need to be video taping every second of the day.



Updates:
Anika is working on writing her name. She knows her letters and I've seen her write all the letters in her name, but for some reason she isn't feeling confident and flat out refuses to try the letter k anymore. She has the A down pat! I find the letter A written all over everything!
We checked out a book from the library called HOW MUCH IS THAT DOGGY IN THE WINDOW. I loved that song when I was a kid and now she loves it too. On Friday I took the girls to the puppy place so that they could look at the dogs. They were SO excited! Anika said "I LOVE that cute doggie with the waggoly tail!!" She's just so cute!
Yesterday, she sounded like a personal ad, she said "I love singing, having birthday parties, and mommies and daddies and sisters! Keslie is my best friend because she is my sister!"
She hasn't been able to stop talking about her Blue's Clues party that she had in December. She was asking when she could have her next Blue's Clues party and I told her that for her next party maybe we could do something different. I offered some suggestions and NOW she prays about her Blue's Clues party and her Dora party (that she is going to have). GOOD GRIEF!! =)

Keslie is a little doll. Nothing new to report - she is still trying to say everything and she's doing great on her bunk bed! Man alive - these girls are cute!!

Bushnell Park

We went to this fun park last week for playgroup. It has a carousel and a really fun play area. I thought the kids were going to love the carousel. We rode on one at the mall when Kelyn was here and had a blast! It didn't go very well though. I think this one was a little overwhelming - SOO loud and so many kids. I asked Anika which horse she wanted to ride and she said she wanted to ride in the carriage (the thing that sits there and doesn't move). I'm thinking - 'NO WAY! We are riding the moving horses!' So we get up there and I load them up on the horses, take a couple pictures, and gear myself up for the ride. Anika then freaked out because she wanted to ride on the carriage so I got her down and told her to go get on it and I would stay and stand by Keslie. It went fine until it started moving. Keslie was having the time of her life but Anika turned around and had the most terrified look on her face and started screaming. So I grabbed Keslie and we sat by Anika. Obviously Keslie wasn't too happy about this turn of events and so it was her turn to throw a fit. =) It was a lovely ride!



Happy Fathers and Mother's day!

So - I just realized I never posted anything for Mother's day and here we are at Father's day! I am blessed with such wonderful parents and that includes my in-laws. I am so thankful for their friendships and their love. We love you guys so much!

I am also very blessed to have a wonderful husband who also happens to be the most amazing daddy ever! Our girls ADORE him. I'm so glad that he takes the time to play with them and cuddle on them.

I took the girls to get him some treats on Saturday and then we made him some pictures and stuff. I told Anika that she couldn't tell him about the treats because they were a surprise for him on Father's day. SO - we went to his school that evening to pick him up. Nathan had told Anika that when we came to get him they could come inside so we went in and found his classroom. He had a room all to himself and Anika was in heaven. There were huge white boards for her to color on. As she's drawing she tells him that she colored a picture for his Father's day and "guess what! We got treats for you for your Father's day!" Thanks Anika! =)

Anyway - Happy late Father's day to all the Dads and Grandpas in my life! Love you!

I know these aren't the best pictures ever - but they are cute of the girls hanging out with their daddy.


"Hahaha - I am a great father - aren't I?!!"

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Check out this goose egg!!



Today we went to the science center with our friends - Jenn, Jonah, and Isaac. Our little outing got off to a rough start because poor Jonah tripped and conked his noggin pretty good. I have NEVER seen a bump appear SO fast! It was HUGE and black and blue. It was so sad. I didn't think to take a picture until awhile later but it was still pretty good sized. It was cute - at one point we were in a room with a big mirror and Jonah went up and just stared at his head and then rubbed his bump. We all had a great time and I even got to hold baby Isaac for a second!! I seriously love him.

Nathan came home from school a little early today and hung out with us. We ran to Walmart to get Anika a "poop treat". We are finally making some progress with that! Yay! We also bought a scale - I need to shed 10 lbs so that we can start thinking about baby #3!

For those who were wondering - BECOMING JANE comes out on August 3.

See ya!

Monday, June 11, 2007

Girl's night anyone???

I am SO seeing this one!!

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Trees

Today for our art activity we went on a little nature hunt for leaves and branches and flowers so that the girls could make their own "trees". We love to be outside! Keslie was giddy about everything and put piles of dirt and grass in the bag and would stop and stare at the sidewalk. I think she liked the glinty, shiny stones inside the concrete. Anika created her tree like a pro. It was a little over Keslie's head but she was still proud of the end product. Here are some pictures of my sweeties with their creations!



Friday, June 08, 2007

Just a few more updates!

Holy cow! I'm posting like crazy today! I had to share a couple cute things the girl's have been saying.

Anika:

The other day when it was raining she said two cute things:

"Is Jesus drinking his water so that he can grow BIG BIG BIG like me?

This one made more sense:
"Is Jesus spilling his water?"

I got really sick with allergies the day Kelyn left and they continued on through yesterday. The girls were so sweet and just putzed around the house so I could moan and groan on the couch. At one point Anika came and climbed up on me and said "I'm sorry your sick mom. Don't worry, your medicine will kick in soon." =)

Her quest for knowledge continues and she is constantly asking questions about everything and then asks WHY when we answer. She still sings non-stop. Her prayers are ADORABLE. She always ends them with "Please bless my Blue's Clue's party and the temple." Seriously, I don't think she could be any sweeter.

Keslie is talking SO MUCH! She copies everything we say! She's totally into Elmo right now. I think it's because Elmo is on her diapers. She is always wrapping up her stuffed animals or babies and rocking them and making beds for them just like Anika does.

Nathan is totally done with the medical school part of dental school! This summer he is going to be taking a lot of dental classes and studying for the boards. He takes his boards on July 17th! I'm so proud of him.

I'm so excited for summer and the fun activities that are coming with it! I'm trying to be more organized with my days so that the girls get to experience more and have some fun! Here is my schedule:

Mondays: ARTS and CRAFTS - On Monday mornings we are going to do some sort of craft or just something as simple as coloring with chalk out on the sidewalk or finger painting.
Tuesdays: My friend, Rachel, teaches a singing class and I got out of the habit of going because it was too hard to take 3 (this was when I was still watching Marri). But now we are going to start up again! The girls love it - especially Kes.
Wednesdays: Something outdoorsy or some sort of excursion.
Thursdays: Playgroup - whatever activity we are doing that day!
Fridays: Library - play and check out books for the week.

Obviously it's flexible but it just gives me something to plan for so that we don't end up wasting the morning away. I like feeling productive.

For some reason bubbleshare didn't upload all my pictures from our day at the beach so here are the forgotten ones:

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Kelyn, Samual, and Isaac's visit to CT

"Sisters is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship."
Margaret Meed

I found this quote about sisters and liked it. Kelyn and I had quite the laugh as we read through my 6th grade journal one day while she was here. That was the year I thought for sure that my parents loved her more than me. The year she got away with everything and I got blamed for everything. =)Or so I thought. On one page I had a picture of a cat and then a sign underneath that said "Sister and cat Lost. $10 reward for the CAT." I found this other quote that explains the journal.

"If you don't understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child."
Linda Sunshine

I loved her dearly but felt compelled to write only when I wanted to wring her neck. =) It was fun to laugh about old times. I'm so grateful for her friendship and definitely don't feel the desire to wring her neck like I did when I was 12.

We had such a fun 10 days! We were without a car so we did A LOT of walking. It was great! We walked all over the place and took advantage of the park behind my house. We did a little garbage picking and found a nice little booster seat on one of our walks. The kids got along great. We learned really fast to keep the bathroom door shut. One day we found Isaac IN the toilet - foot down the hole!! NICE! The toilet is his new favorite toy. Towards the end they were all starting to get tired of each other. Keslie got busted for hitting several times. Isaac fell off the jungle gym at the park and got a HUGE gash on his lip! That was pretty traumatic. At nights and during naps we played lots of Hand and Foot and Settlers of Catan. We managed to get a little tag selling in after my race. We borrowed my friend's van on Monday so that we could go to the beach but it ended up raining all day! Such a bummer! We ended up going to the mall and riding the carousel. And then the end came WAY TOO FAST! I always feel so sad when her visits are over. I'm so glad that she came out again. It's so fun for me to have visitors here in CT and to show off where we live and our home. I love Kelyn and her boys so much. Samuel and Isaac are so cute and getting so big! Anika and Samuel had a blast wearing their "capes" and flying off the couches. I'm glad that they were able to bond! I didn't take nearly enough pictures. I got some of them playing in the sprinklers and some of us on our walks.

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Susan G. Komen RACE FOR THE CURE - CT

Well - I ran my first 5K last Saturday! Nathan likes to tease me because when he came home a couple months ago I told him I'd signed up for a MARATHON. He got this panicked look in his eyes and asked me if I was serious. I said "Good grief! I can handle 3 miles!!". And that's when he started laughing. Apparently a marathon is 22 miles or some insane distance that I would NEVER attempt. SO - even though it wasn't a marathon I was still pretty proud of myself considering I really hate running. It was a really great experience. It was an amazing feeling to be running with so many people for such a good cause. I found myself getting emotional throughout the race. A lot of people wore signs on their backs that said "In memory of... " or the really great ones were the "In celebration of...". I ran behind a lady for awhile that had two signs - one said "In memory of Mom" the other said "In celebration of ME". I ran in celebration of Grammy. I think that cancer research (not just breast cancer) is so important and I'm glad that I was able to be involved in something so worthwhile. Thanks so much to those of you who donated to my race. I really appreciate your support.

Nathan couldn't come watch me run so we didn't get any pictures - he insisted on taking a couple when I got home. He took a shot of me "in action". Haha! I look ever so lovely. I'm still totally red faced and sweaty. Sheesh - it seems like every picture I've posted of myself lately is SCARY! Maybe I will have to follow in Beth's footsteps and do a photo shoot of me on a cute day. =)


Bunk Beds

Hooray!! We got them all set up on Memorial weekend and the girls LOVE them! I'm really glad that they are working out. I was kicking myself as I put away the crib. I don't know what my hurry was. Kes has never attempted to climb out of her crib and she sleeps fabulously. I think I just get something in my head and if were gonna do it then I'd rather do it sooner than later. Anyway - Anika loves her top bunk and talks about it ALL the time. Keslie is happy to be on the bottom. I usually go in to check on them before I go to bed and the last few nights I've found toys ALL over the room and on Keslie's bed and books everywhere and then Keslie asleep in the middle of it. It's pretty cute. Here are a couple pictures - I took one of them at night and it's a little dark and fuzzy and then the one I took this morning I couldn't get Kes to sit in on. Please note their super cute comforters that I found a few weeks ago at a tag sale for $5!! Now I just need to make some curtains to go with them and do something with the walls. =)