CityGirlCountryBoy+2

Kindergarten

2011-09-20T22:48:00.000-04:00

She started school this morning,

and she seemed so very small.

As I walked there beside her

in the Kindergarten hall.

And as she took her place beside the others in the class,

I realized how all too soon

those first few years can pass.

Remembering, I saw her as

she first learned how to walk.

The words that we alone made out

when she began to talk.

This little girl so much absorbed

in learning how to write.

It seems as though she must have grown

to girlhood overnight.

My eyes were blurred but hastily

I brushed the tears away

Lest by some word or sign of mine

I spoil her first big day.

Oh how I longed to stay with her

and keep her by the hand

to lead her through the places

that she couldn't understand.

And something closely kin to fear

was mingled with my pride.

I knew she would no longer be

a baby by my side.

But she must have her chance to live,

to work her problems out,

the privilege to grow and learn

what life is all about.

And I must share my little girl

with friends and work and play;

She's not a baby anymore --

She's in Kindergarten today.

This poem was shared with us by Emma's teacher, on the first day of school. On that day, it seemed sweet, but not did not quite resonate. Because, we WERE ready. We have BEEN ready for her to embark in this new journey, or so we thought. SHE is ready. But today, 3 weeks later, it is resonating. Kindergarten adjustment has been hard. Harder than I anticipated. It is NOT easy to let your baby go, and mingle with all of these new people, these new influences. I know it is part of the process, it has to happen ... but I want it to slow down, just a bit ...

Don't get me wrong, there have been far more good, some GREAT, moments since Emma's started Kindergarten. She is already scanning words, reading picture books, spelling her colors. BIG steps in 3 weeks. She is happy, she is loving it ... but as her Mom, I am struggling with all of the new adjustments that come with her getting to know 19 new friends. And not knowing the "play to play" of each hour is not easy to swallow for this Momma. We are taking in step by step, each night I "debrief" with Rob and he employs his rational approach, explaining why it is ok for Emma to make mistakes and I just have to keep calm ... and each new experience is a learning moment and we are invested in our children ... and it will all work out ... He's so good at staying rational!

But why does it still feel so hard?

I thought I was ready ... but even though she's in Kindergarten, she's still my baby. So, yes, Kindergarten is awesome ... and I'm hoping to believe that soon :)

Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Dowling

2011-09-20T19:17:00.000-04:00

September 3, 2011

It was a perfect day to celebrate a perfect union.

More details to follow soon ...

From our 'garden'

2011-09-13T18:14:00.000-04:00

Bright red juicy tomatoesfrom our container garden! :)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

First bus ride!

2011-09-07T12:21:00.000-04:00

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Still amazes me ...

2011-08-31T23:26:00.000-04:00

Sometimes while I am swimming, I take a long deep breath, flip over to my back and look at the huge, beautiful blue sky and have complete amazement that this is actually ... ME! I am swimming!! I am strong ... I am floating ... I am breathing and gliding through the depths of this lake! It is truly amazing. Before our journey 18 months ago, the mere thought of swimming made me cringe and hyperventilate. To think that swimming would so quickly become my release, my restore, my peace (except on race days), is just amazing to me.
Last week we ventured out on our end of summer challenge - to swim the entire lake. We swam this beautiful lake -- 2 miles in 1.5 hours!!! It was unbelievable! I became a bit delirious midway, thinking eels were going to come and grab me ... and my other 2 mermaids (Sara and Lori) would not be able to rescue me as I lagged behind ... But at the end it felt triumphant and left me feeling strong and proud of our feat ... It gave clarity to why we train for our races, to feel that strength resonate and carry you through your toughest moments. So it is a moment I want to pause and be thankful for ... our swimming, it has truly helped me be at peace with my own strengths and weaknesses.

I CAN swim!!!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Build-a-bear magic

2011-08-17T19:53:00.001-04:00

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Best Auntie ever!

2011-08-08T15:53:00.000-04:00

Emma with the best Auntie, ever!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Special times ...

2011-08-08T15:52:00.000-04:00

Julia enjoying dinner out with her RaRa. Xoxo

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Annual girls weekend

2011-08-03T17:34:00.000-04:00

Our 4th annual girls weekend ... Though mamma-to-be Dianna (part quatro) could not spend the weekend, we got to enjoy a beautiful dinner out at the Elephant Walk ...just us four ladies (and 2 little ones in utero).  It makes me smile that we found this way to share our lives, even when our paths have become winding, sometimes close to each others and sometimes very different maps, but this girls weekend tradition has ensured we always have a path shared, at minimum one time per year ... It is something I treasure and look forward to all year long!

Here's to celebrating friendship, love you ladies!!

2011 girls weekend

2011-08-03T17:27:00.000-04:00

Our 4th annual girls weekend ... though mamma-to-be Dianna (part quatro) could not spend the weekend, we got to enjoy a beautiful dinner out at the Elephant Walk ...just us four ladies (and 2 little ones in utero). It makes me smile that we found this way to share our lives, even when our paths have become winding, sometimes close to each others and sometimes very different maps, but this girls weekend tradition has ensured we always have a path shared, at minimum one time per year ... It is something I treasure and look forward to all year long!

Here's to celebrating friendship, love you ladies!!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

A little snip-it of why I "tri"

2011-07-25T20:16:00.006-04:00

i tri...

to clear my head

to be an inspiration to my children

to breathe

to resurrect my childhood athlete

to eat chocolate

because it makes me happy

to feel strong

because it makes me feel so good

to prove girls are just as awesome as boys

to inspire others

to be with friends

to appreciate what i have

to drink wine with out regret

because it brings me closer to myself

to get peace and quiet

to see that admiration in my husband's eye

to feel confident

because my Mermaids rock!

to challenge my fears

because it brings me peace

I tri for me ...

Lace cap hydrangeas from our front yard

2011-07-24T17:28:00.000-04:00

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Exploring marine life

2011-07-22T11:15:00.000-04:00

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Phase 1

2011-07-20T15:49:00.000-04:00

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

First artwork

2011-07-19T13:01:00.000-04:00

The girls started summer camp this week! It is Julia's first taste at preschool and despite my apprehension of sending her, she is doing wonderfully! She loves camp and school and being there with her big sis is icing on the cake! Emma adores Julia and is very happy to show her the ropes. Her is Julia's first school painting, not too shabby for a 3 year old! :)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Julia's first pony ride!

2011-07-18T14:32:00.001-04:00

To end our family vacation, we stopped in Lowell to stay with Auntie April & Uncle Timmy. The girls love visiting them. We all enjoyed a trip to Kimball's Farm (lobster rolls, clams, burgers, and the BEST sundaes ever!) The girls also got to ride a pony! They loved every second.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Diva in Training

2011-07-18T14:14:00.001-04:00

Emma got a kiddie spa pedicure with us on Sunday, she is a little Diva already! Julia will get her first mani/pedi next month :)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Future triathlete?

2011-07-15T12:51:00.000-04:00

Little Jules all geared up for the Lake!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Santas Village!

2011-07-15T12:49:00.000-04:00

Julia was so happy to be a tad over 3 ft, which meant she got to go on all of the rides! She loved the Flume ride!!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Fresh picked Maine blueberries!

2011-07-15T12:46:00.001-04:00

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Vacation ... Adult drinks! ;)

2011-07-14T23:06:00.000-04:00

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Grass Fed

2011-07-08T23:04:00.000-04:00

Beef:

http://www.PiperRanchBeef.com/beef-cuts.html

Yard sale

2011-07-07T22:36:00.000-04:00

The girls lemonade stand was a bust, but all of their "friends" got free drinks! :)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Julia and D having a ball!

2011-07-07T22:16:00.000-04:00

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Our first tomato ...

2011-06-29T18:48:00.000-04:00

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Dance Recital

2011-06-19T20:11:00.003-04:00

The girls were adorable for the recital. Julia being one of the youngest dancers in the show, did EXCELLENT. She really loves to dance and knew her entire routine.

Emma amazed us with her stage presence (so much confidence and leadership). She was terrific.

Here are a few backstage snap shots of the day:

Baby calf

2011-06-03T21:41:00.000-04:00

One month old baby calf eating 1 of 2 bottles for the day. So cute!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Field trip

2011-06-03T21:39:00.001-04:00

Julia loved the field trip to the farm and is very excited to go to Camp this summer, I think she is ready for pre-school!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Trip to the dairy farm

2011-05-31T10:21:00.000-04:00

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Flower girls

2011-05-30T19:04:00.000-04:00

Preview of the flower girl dresses!! :)

Spaghetti Strap Bodice with Embroidered Lace - David's Bridal

Emma's catepillar project

2011-05-10T11:51:00.000-04:00

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Happy Easter to everyone!

2011-04-24T11:23:00.001-04:00

Enjoy this beautiful sign of spring!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Coming clean ...

2011-04-20T18:17:00.003-04:00

I think I may have found the petri dish that is linked to Julia continuously picking up new bugs ... I am pretty sure (but I am no scientist so...) that is is her CAR SEAT ... oh never mind it's probably the whole dang "Kerravan"!!!!! I may just be going crazy because I want to figure out why my littlest one keeps getting gross colds, ear infections, and now strept throat. So when I looked around my car today GEESH, it was disgusting. I pretty much live out of the van - snacks are tossed from the front to the girls in the back, so yup there are cheerios, cheddar bunnies, gummies, you name it that stuff is floating all around my minivan. There are sippy cups tumbling around the floor, I have enough sand in the car to start our own little island this summer. Any one want to come vacation at Petri Island this summer??? Ha ha ha!

UGH! So, wow my MINI VAN is a petri dish! But because I can not identify a problem and just let it be, I unexpectedly spent an hour cleaning out the petri dish, hoping that if I do this cleanse that we will be rid of all the nasty germs and Julia will be free and clear for the rest of the Spring. Cross your fingers that me coming clean and cleaning up the van sets us free!

Happy 5th birthday treats for Emma!

2011-04-12T22:36:00.000-04:00

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Mulan Party

2011-03-30T15:13:00.004-04:00

Julia was so excited for her birthday this year ... she asked specifically for a Mulan Party, which is a wonderful Disney Princess that unfortunately is not the most popular so we had to get creative with the decorations for her theme party. It turned out pretty well:

Centerpieces ~ candy filled buckets with Mulan and Mushu cutouts

Homemade cupcakes by Daddy with cupcakes holders ordered from Etsy.com

"Mushu" the dragon from Mulan

Chinese inspired table

And the birthday party will begin shortly ... Julia and Emma were very excited!

Julia, Maddie, and Gracie waiting for cake!

The girls waiting for guests to arrive ;)

Julia is 3!!!!!

2011-03-15T13:10:00.000-04:00

Wishing our littlest lady a wonderful 3rd birthday!!!! What a year she had ...

Julia started dance class and is leading the way in the dance routine amongst her 4 and 5 year old friends. We were quite surprised that she not only follows right along but much of the time appears as if she isn't paying attention, however as soon as it's time to demonstrate the routine, she raises her hand and does the entire thing in sequence! Her dance teacher, Miss Tracee is very proud and of course so are we!!! She will join Emma for the recital this year, which as my sister reminded us, was her goal ever since she had to sit through Emma's recital. April says she saw the sparkle and Julia's eye last year and is very impressed that Julia did not forget about dance but was so determined to get into her own class to make it to the recital (a full year before her big sister!!!).

Julia is proving to be our "one to watch", she is into absolutely everything. She has a very determined mind of her own and a huge imagination. She can spend hours chatting to herself and playing pretend kitchen/restaurant. She loves to be the waitress and take your order, she will even tell you if what you ordered is something she can cook, saying "we don't make that here". She is getting the nickname "Ramona" ... remember Ramona the Pest and Ramona the Brave by Beverly Clearly, well Julia is a mini Ramona, even Emma will say "ughhh, Ramona" when Julia dumps entire cupboards of junk onto the floor or sticks something up her nose!

Julia loves to perform, she will sing and dance much of the day away. She adores Taylor Swift and pretty much knows most of her songs by heart!

Julia makes us smile every single day, with her funny mannerisms (like always talking with her hands or when she's finished yet another performance she will say "you are supposed to clap!"). She has no problem letting anyone know what she needs or what she expects from you.

Julia loves her pull ups, she has no desire to move onto big girl underwear yet, but at least she gave up the diapers ;)

Julia is a chatterbox and very imaginative, she is sensitive and already shows compassion for others (always making sure everyone is ok and loves to line up her baby dolls and stuffed animals in her room, making a bed for each one of them on her floor at night time), she amazes us in what she already knows because she has a very suave way about imparting information ... she very nonchalantly shows off her skills when you least expect it.

Julia adores her big sister and is willing to let Emma have anything of hers (though I would have to say she did not learn this from her big sis). Julia wants for nothing, you can bring her to any store and ask if she would like something and she will say "no thanks". She is perfectly content being in the moment and has expressed very little desires for things, it's quite a beautiful trait ... I am pretty sure she gets this from her wonderful Daddy (if that is the case, the big concern will be, when she does ask for something it will be a pretty hefty purchase).

Julia has a sparkle about her that makes everyone feel good, she is a gift we will always be thankful for.

On Sunday we had a family and friends celebration, it was a Mulan party, which is Julia's favorite Disney princess movie. It was a wonderful day where Julia felt truly spoiled with love! Thank you to everyone who celebrated and sent birthday wishes! xoxoxo

Special homemade cupcakes for Julia

2011-03-09T21:59:00.001-05:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to our littlest girl, Julia Frances!

Looking forward to a weekend full of celebrating (true Piscean style ;) )

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Having fun with Auntie!

2011-02-12T15:35:00.000-05:00

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

What it means to be a 2 year old girl ...

2011-02-01T10:57:00.000-05:00

Julia singing "prince charming" (notice the huge pile of dress up clothes on the floor ... Yes she has put every one on this morning!). Gotta love the passion and energy from this little one ;)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Where's Rob?

2011-01-27T10:03:00.000-05:00

Overnight we got 21 inches of snow!! We were expecting 4-10 inches, but they were wrong!! The entire State is shut down until midday. And here is Rob digging us out, he can't lift the plow onto the banks because they are too high :(

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Valentine preview

2011-01-24T15:41:00.000-05:00

For some reason I am super into valentines this year ... I already ordered this tee (from lemonademakin' mama -- see blogroll) to wear and pulled a recipe for lemon heart cookies to make for rob ;) hope you all have some vday spice planned! Xoxo

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Julia ... In her big girl bed!

2011-01-21T12:09:00.001-05:00

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Another snow day = more baking!

2011-01-21T12:07:00.000-05:00

Chocolate chip cookies coming right up! :)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

New playspace

2011-01-14T22:59:00.000-05:00

Santa brought a sparkly pink kitchen/bake shoppe for the girls ... They love it!!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Little painter

2011-01-12T21:11:00.000-05:00

Julia preferred staying inside, wearing summer dresses, painting over going outside in the snow :)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Blizzard!!!

2011-01-12T21:08:00.000-05:00

An awesome day in the snow! :)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Snowed in!

2011-01-12T07:35:00.000-05:00

We may be here awhile! :)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

The girls playing Wii Just Dance

2011-01-12T07:23:00.000-05:00

"i like to move it move it!"

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Christmas treats...

2010-12-18T12:48:00.000-05:00

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

The girls at dance class!

2010-12-18T10:54:00.000-05:00

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Santa

2010-12-15T00:18:00.002-05:00

I love the beginnings of the wonders of childhood. Both Emma and Julia are fully enthralled with Santa and are eagerly awaiting his special deliveries come December 25th. I find it absolutely adorable that Julia has asked for two things: a donut and a mushroom. Hmmm, hopefully Santa stops at the donut shop on his sleigh ride down ... and this mushroom thing, we are still unclear since we don't eat mushrooms at home, though we know she's had them at MiMi's in her spaghetti sauce, but was that really enough for her to be yearning for more and that to be her special gift from Santa?

Or is this an Alice in Wonderland influence and should we be very alarmed?

Either way we think it sounds pretty suspect for our 2 1/2 year old to be asking for mushrooms for Christmas! :)

But, then there's Miss Emma ... she is all business this Christmas. She would like Hannah Montana everything, a baby doll, and pretty much anything else she sees along the way. She flat out explained to Julia, "Julia, you have to ask for a toy from Santa. Santa gives toys, not food". Well, Julia has a bit of her mother's personality and looked at Emma and said "Nope. I want food". Hysterical, I tell you, it is absolutely hysterical to listen to these two interact.

They have requested decorations be spread all over the house, and thanks to Uncle Timmy's garland decor we now have red sparkly garland strung around our doors as well.

Emma has already wrapped 3 presents and put them under the tree ... we are taking bets how long it takes Julia to unwrap them. Tonight she sat on the couch cuddling one in her lap!!!

TheKnot

2010-11-30T20:46:00.000-05:00

Click here to follow April & Timmy's Wedding!

TheKnot

Giving Thanks

2010-11-28T22:36:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving is Rob's favorite holiday, he loves preparing for the big meal and he savors the 3 1/2 days he gets uninterrupted with our family. It is so sweet to see him fully embrace a long weekend. I swear there is not another time in the year where he is just HERE with US. He was particularly excited this year to have the girls both more independent and able to join him in hikes outside. We took one with RaRa and PopPop through our back woods which is slowly becoming a nice little hiking trail and then we went again this morning to a trail 2 miles from our house, the girls absolutely loved it. We saw a "spooky" tree, we crossed two brooks, and we almost made it to the big tree but Julia's little legs had had enough. So Mommy and Julia headed back, but Rob, Emma and Grandpa kept exploring for another 30 minutes. It was really a beautiful way to start a Sunday, Emma was so proud to have "finished the whole trail". She was excited to be the leader and look for the blue rectangles that were marked on the trees as the guide of the path. We all have realized that absolutely nothing gets by Emma. Even if you think you've said something quietly, if she's with in a 2 room earshot, she's heard it and will ever so deftly let you know in the upcoming conversations that she did in fact hear you ... that Emma!

We got to enjoy a delicious and leisurely dinner at home with RaRa and PopPop on Thanksgiving, it was really a perfect pace. We ate and gave thanks around the table, then played and the girls napped and that gave us adults a chance to also recharge, then a bit of dessert across the street with Rob's parents and Aunt Karleen and Uncle Charlie. It was very nice, we missed April and Timmy but we will get to have them again next year ... I think :)

Once we tucked the kids away to bed, we plotted our shopping trip -- we left at 2:30 a.m.! How we did it is still a mystery, since at 11 p.m. Julia decided to join me and April in bed, she was hysterically trying to antagonize "Nantie April" by doing cheerleading and ninja moves all at the same time. It took me 1 hour to get Julia to relax and convince her she could sleep in her own room ... conversations of "Mommy there are scaaarrry things in my room", "My belly hurts", "My teeth, I need medicine", "I miss you Mommy" (with a big kiss on the lips) ... ahh, that little one knows how to play her cards, but Mommy perservered and by 12:15 a.m. Julia was back in her crib ... though I was still wide awake thinking "should we just leave now?" but April was just falling asleep, so I closed my eyes and before I knew it the alarm was blarring at 2 a.m. We grabbed out Turkey Stuffed sandwiches and headed out for a marathon of shopping. I still haven't wrapped my head aorund the 12 hours we shopped, or exactly what we purchased, the bags are stowed in the basement and hopefully this week I can organize them and figure out what I bought while in a state of delirium!

But, I give thanks ... thanks that once a year we get that uninterrupted opportunity to seize a shopping excursion, find amazing deals, spend such real time together as sisters and daughter(s), we have the best time ... even when we haven't been able to find a "damn cup of coffee" for 7 hours! ;)

I give thanks to the traditions we have started ... the Lowell Parade, the Black Friday Shopping, the Thanksgiving Hikes, the Crazy Pajamas, the sleepovers, and the excitement that is the Holidays!

I give thanks for the personalities of our two little girls, Julia continuously finds ways to amuse everyone ... from her "underwear" song renditions, to her whispering in your ear voice, she makes us all smile and fill up with love. And Emma always finds a way to let everyone know how special they are to her, she will be playing and then quickly break and come right up and tell you "I just love having you here". She is very sweet and loves having her family around.

I feel so very thankful for all of the beautiful moments we shared this weekend and the year behind us. I am giving thanks to all of my family and wonderful friends. I hope that each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with great love and food.

Special Time

2010-11-21T20:22:00.004-05:00

Tonight Julia and I got to go grocery shopping, just the two of us. We went to Whole Foods with a very big holiday cooking list and it was the most fun I have EVER had grocery shopping! She is such a little character. I would read off my list, "Ok, we need lettuce" and she would look around the produce section and say "there it is Mommy, your salad". Then onto, apples and broccoli, and potatoes, even when I asked her for the "herbs", she pointed right to the basil and oregano plants. I was shocked at how much she knows about the foods we eat! Like my mother said this weekend, "that Julia loves to cook, she will probably own a restaurant".

We zoomed up and down the aisles, talking about all the yummy food we will be preparing, she smiled the entire time, followed all of the rules and was rewarded with many smiles and hugs from a happy Mommy ... and to top it off, we stopped and rested with a small Gelato.

Thanksgiving shopping was a big success!

Where did the time go?

2010-11-11T15:04:00.005-05:00

Anticipation...

So with a blink of an eye we are heading full steam ahead into the Holiday Season! I have no idea where September and October went (anyone else feeling the same way?). What I do know is, I am super excited about preparing for the holidays! I have my stack of catalogues WAITING for a cozy Sunday ... tea in one hand, and post-it's in the other (to flag the fun finds I want to share with my family and friends).

I love spending time with family, no rushing just long leisurely days and then the crazy tradition of Black Friday continues, where April and I wake up at 3 a.m. to hit the stores! We really do get some amazing finds. Anyone else hitting the stores on Black Friday?

Ring, Ring ...

With life filling up and the days flying by, I am happy that we have tried new ways to stay connected. The past two weeks we have logged onto Skype to see "Auntie Shelley and Zio Luigi", it has been awesome. I miss seeing Michelle so so so much so it is wonderful to stay connected from afar. The girls are starting to get the hang of it, but we still have to work out what time of day will be best for their moods! LOL. But, even though they haven't fully warmed up on camera, once we hang up they are full of "we saw Auntie Shelley!!!!" and walking around the house pretending to tell her stories. :)

I'm Sorry you're sick, Mommy...what's for dinner?

The past two weeks have been full of gross colds and possibly the flu for Rob, it was touch it go and oh boy let me tell you, when a woman has a cold/flu no one expects anything less than a typical day.

I saw an Ad for Kleenex the slogan was "I'm sorry you're sick Mommy ... What's for Dinner?" and the next one was "America's softest tissue for America's Biggest Baby ... Get Well Soon Dad". KUDOS to Kleenex ... this was so spot on in our house the past two weeks. You all know, I love Rob dearly, and he is an amazing Daddy and Hubby, but oh boy when he is sick he could be nicknamed "sniffleupogus" Kinda like Snufflupagus from Sesame ;) The drama!! Thankfully, he is feeling all better and is back to his very wonderful self!

Happy Halloween...

2010-11-02T07:44:00.000-04:00

From Emma, the "good" witch ;)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

A bit preoccupied

2010-10-18T21:33:00.000-04:00

I am so contemplating these Ugg boots ... As I told my sis "we would where these out, everywhere" ...

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Apple picking with the Masons

2010-10-11T20:29:00.004-04:00

We started a lovely tradition the year we moved out to CT ... Karen and Mike find a way to come apple picking with us out in the Country!!! :)

Here is a photo story for you all:

2010-09-25T11:19:00.001-04:00

And she is back ... Maybe?

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Back to School Blues ...

2010-09-13T21:44:00.005-04:00

Julia's first dance class!

My bike/transition area for the Farmington Women's Triathlon!

In our wetsuits -- 60 degree day!

Is this the last time we will see Emma on a soccer field?

Emma's first day of school (love that Julia is still in her PJ's yet so so cute!)

The summer is officially over, and fall is creeping right in. Though I do really love fall and the crisp air, yummy apples, and pumpkin spiced ... everything, I do have to admit I have a case of the "back to school" blues.

It is not easy to put into words, other than ... I really really liked our summer rhythm. I don't like the hustle and bustle of out the front door by 7:30 a.m. - no leisurely breakfasts with the girls, no snuggling on the couch till 10 a.m., no mid morning craft projects, no nap time for Mommy to clean up, make a healthy lunch and catch up on my phone gabbing, laundry, GH, or just enjoy the peace and quiet for 2 hours. Instead we are faced with condensing all of those things into 2 days over the weekend. YUCK. Plus you have to put faith in a brand new school/teacher to take good care of your little girl. By the way, I think I am the only one with this case of back to school blues because from what I see and hear around our house the girls are loving being back at Renee's with the kids, Emma doesn't stop talking about her days at school, and poor Rob doesn't know what a fun summer vacation is anyway so me going back to work probably makes him giggle! But for now I have been struggling with the new schedule.

Since I went back to work the girls fall activities also begun. Julia is now doing her first dance class and loving every second. It is a ballet and tumbling class. She is absolutely adorable and we are quite impressed with her ability to fit right in (she is the youngest in the class) and she's doing great at following the teacher instructions.

Emma started soccer, even though she had a bumpy first season last fall. She said she wanted to play again and even convinced her friend Julianna to join the team. Well after 3 appearances this season, she's decided she is not a soccer player. She wants to do dance and in her words "when Julia starts to play soccer I still don't want to play I just want to watch everyone play". So for now she is not the budding athlete I had been hoping for, though I do love seeing her smile and enjoy dance and I am not giving up hope that in time she will find some passion for sports!

And now for the big stuff ... Emma started school 2 weeks ago at Village Green Preschool. It is a small private school and they are really attentive and structured. We had our first parent teacher conference last week and Emma was given a wonderful report. Her teacher, Ms. W showed her curriculum model and benchmarks and assured us that Emma is exactly where they hope preschoolers will be, which made us feel proud. They have a number of interactive field trips planned and we are excited to be apart of that with them. Rob will be a chaperone at the first one next week at the apple orchard. Along with Emma learning so many new and wonderful preschool requirements, she's also cruising along on the "social" aspects. She is making new friends and has officially informed us that she "likes" a boy named Calvin. Seriously ... she has not stopped talking about him and tonight while reading a story with Rob she told him she hopes "cupid strikes her and Calvin with an arrow on Valentine's Day". YUP, this little girl is a true romantic. Not sure where she gets it from ... wink wink. But she did learn about the cupid and arrow from Amelia Bedelia's First Valentine's Day, so I don't think I'll be recommending that one out to any preschool Mommy's :)

Old fashioned gas pump

2010-09-05T15:47:00.000-04:00

Talk about old school, this is Rob pumping gas near Bangor, Maine.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

So cool!

2010-08-31T17:27:00.000-04:00

Emma says she is "cool"

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Things I learned this Summer

2010-08-25T21:48:00.006-04:00

This week marks my last week of freedom, well not really, but the summer is coming to anend and work begins on Monday, I thought I would take a few minutes to reflect and share the things I learned over this Summer:

Sprinklers can turn any mundane afternoon into instant fun
Rainy days do not have to equal crying and whining, you just have to think like a kid again (finger paints, puppet shows, baking cookies all equal a minimum of 1.5 hours of fun)
My kids would eat mac n cheese at every meal if I let them
My sister will be an amazing Mom one day, she took our girls for a weekend and enjoyed every second of it (they are still telling me about their dress up time at Auntie's)
Vacations are an amazing respite from the day to day and make returning to your home even that much better
Always bring a fan and a nightlight when you vacation with kids
Absence really does make the heart grow fonder, but not in the case of work, I swear I am dreading returning to work
I actually felt for the first time this summer "I COULD do THIS, I could stay at home and be at peace with that" (of course I get paid bi-weekly all summer so that didn't hurt) but never before had I felt like I could be content being at home
Meditation works for me - even if it is only 10 minutes
Julia is really bright, she is an observer and quiet, but that little girl knows ALOT
You can make any house a home, as long as you nurture those living inside it and the company who visit
Emma is a true girlie girl, the kid may have more shoes than me now and absolutely has more dresses!
Rob will support me, no matter what road/path/direction I want to take, he will always listen and ultimately he will support what will make me happy
Sometimes we have to do the things we fear the most (SWIM) and it teaches our children to be confident too
Confidence is a really beautiful quality, but only in small doses ;)
Sometimes we don't reach our goals in the timeline we set, but along the way new bigger accomplishments are met!
Friendship deepens the soul, no matter how far away from one another you are
I like my house clean, and get irritable when it's out of order
I really like to bike and wish Rob would get a road bike too!
The girls are a perfect age gap, at least for this summer :) They played together so well it was amazing to see them together.
Emma is just as sociable as I am, she loves knowing what the plan is and who we are going to see ... everyday
Rob is an excellent baker and is catching up at to me in the cooking department too!
A glass of wine is good any night of the week :)
Hammocks are really relaxing
$3 margaritas on Thursdays (best find of the summer!)
I actually like the beach
I get grumpy when I don't work out
Julia and I are kindred spirits when it comes to sleep and cozying up on the couch with a blankie
Rob and Emma are kindred spirits ... wake up at 5:45 a.m. and get to work (both of them could work a full day by the time Julia and I woke up!)
Playdates are not just a "yuppy" word they are great for kids and Mommy's alike!
The girls have turned into "mommy's girls" so it's probably a good thing I am heading back to work
I have found the right job in my profession, because I can work hard all year and have an end in sight ... next Summer

So here is to saying Good Bye to Summer, Hello to the new school year, and Can't wait for next Summer!

2010-08-24T11:20:00.001-04:00

Big girl using mommy's ipod

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Happy summer!

2010-08-20T18:45:00.000-04:00

Drinks to toast a great summer! Rob and I are so lucky to have a great sister and brother in law (to-be) that love our kids enough to take them for a weekend!!
We are loving every second of Boston!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Rainy day = puppet show

2010-08-16T15:38:00.000-04:00

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Little fish ...

2010-08-15T20:05:00.004-04:00

It has been a very busy summer and with summer comes lots of water and swimming! Of course, I have not always enjoyed swimming (though now can proudly say, I do like it, probably because I actually can swim!), but so far our little girls LOVE swimming. They have come so far from the beginning of this summer where they were wearing their life vests, floatie swimsuits, or tubes and now ... Emma will swim underwater like a shark!! She is doing awesome at it. Julia is not far behind, except she doesn't understand to close her mouth so she hasn't been able to put her face in the water yet.

It's amazing to see how quick they pick up a new skill, Emma has learned by watching the bigger kids and we have learned that Emma will most likely be a "follower" and Julia will be a "leader" ... only time will tell :)

Here are some pictures of our little fish!

Triathlete!!!

2010-07-28T08:05:00.004-04:00

Emma cheering on Mommy!

Sara and Maddie, post race!

Sara dismounting after her AWESOME ride!

The wave of swimmers (from a distance) just before our age group wave

Me!!!! Finished the swim in 16minutes 15 seconds ... got kicked in the chin, swallowed a ton of water, had boogers flying out of my nose and was swam over and YES that is pond seaweed hanging from my boob! But it was AWESOME, such an accomplishment to get in that water and swim with all of these women!

On Sunday, July 25th we DID it! We rocked the SheRox Webster Women's Only Triathlon. There were 2100 women competing ... it was really BIG. It was a lot to take in at 5:30 a.m., setting up our transition stations, worrying about how well we were going to do. Watching each age group take off in the water was insanely nerve wracking, I almost vomited thinking about how scary it looked. But overall, we ALL did amazing! We came in well under our practice times (adrenaline is a huge enhancement!). I am proud to report that I finished the triathlon in 1 hour and 36 minutes ~ 16:15 swim; 48:30 bike; 25:30 run! The transitions from swim to bike, bike to run were really crazy, we had to run on pavement and gravel to get back to our transition area ... but we did it and did it well :) The last picture is a picture of our training team ... The Crazy Mermaids (Gretchen, Lori, Mindy, Mary, Sara and Sarah) we wrote our teams mantra on our legs ~ Say No to the Noodle, Ride like the Wind, and Run 'til You're Done! Having these ladies to train with has been amazing, we all have come so far and we are ALL doing it again in Farmington, CT on September 12th ... yes we are a bit addicted but there are far worse obsessions, right?

Thank you to everyone who has been sending encouragement and support, you are all AMAZING!

Crazy Mermaids ...

2010-07-15T11:13:00.002-04:00

Yesterday myself and two other crazy mermaids decided we COULD NOT miss a training day ... regardless of the torrential downpour! We rode 14.5 miles in soggy, dripping clothes and sneakers, up some pretty good hills to our running destination where we ran another 3.5 miles of trail, river, and pouring rain fun, jumped into the lake for 1/4 mile swim, then hopped on our bikes back for another 6 miles! It was actually really FUN!!!!! The rain made us cool the entire time and that was my favorite short run EVER! I think I like trail running and have to add that into my training. My sneakers are still water logged today (I had to wear an old green pair for my run this morning!) ... but it was awesome to keep on and share that with the girls. We were missing 3 of our teammates but our final "team training" is this Monday and then the big race is on Sunday, July 25th!

Here is a photo of us crazy ladies midway through the 2.5 hour training session (Lori, me, Gretchen).

Our Thelma and Louise ... Yes ... we sat on the "hog"

2010-07-12T13:55:00.004-04:00

A "quick" Tuesday night drink out led to 4 drinks and a late night of laughter between two great friends ...

Thank You!

2010-07-12T13:12:00.008-04:00

The Mermaid Sand Sculpture made by Rob, Erol, and Danielle ... such troopers!

We would like to send a special thank you to Danielle and Erol for having us at their beautiful house last week. The beach was fantastic. The girls loved it, and even napped 2 times ON THE BEACH! We found a really beautiful cove that had low tide for hours and we could literally walk to one of the islands ... if we had enough gusto in us! It was easy and wonderful.

It was also so nice to have some real leisure time together, just doing typical day kind of things ... making yummy food and packing up for the beach. We learned so much too just by watching Danielle, she's so conscientious of the environment and has really found good ways to "lessen the carbon footprint". I absolutely realized I was doing alot more wasting than I had considered. So bravo to my friend for all of her great effort to be more mindful and less wasteful.

I hope we didn't scare them too much from having a family, especially since they got to see just how trying it can be to have 2 little ones running around with you... how when you want to head out for the beach it doesn't take 10 minutes, but about 40 minutes because of sunscreen applications, shoe decisions, combing the snarls out of beachy hair, packing up the van, then of course a diaper change just as you are about to put the littlest one into the car seat ... and then bam "I'm hungry, I want a cup of milk" Yup, it's a juggling act ... and somedays it's a great relief to have the built in DVD player to allow the adults a moment of quiet time too! he he he! I think they enjoyed it and the whiny afternoons will be a distant memory because much of the day we were all smiling and enjoying the time as a bigger family! :)

Danielle and I, of course, got out for a night of Thelma & Louise antics ... we kept it fairly tame but we always have a good story to share :) I will try to post a picture to shed light on that adventure.

2010-07-05T14:42:00.001-04:00

A very good day at the beach ... Can not believe they are napping in the beach tent!! Victory!! :)

Triathlon ... in 6 weeks!!!

2010-06-09T22:06:00.003-04:00

In January we started training for our first ever TRIATHLON! At that point I didn't know how to float, swim any stroke, and was petrified of going under water at all. But Sara and I both read the article in Self Magazine -- 12 weeks to triathlon -- and thought, if Hoda and Natalie from the Today Show did it, so can we!!! That was our thinking ... and to our surprise (mine more than Sara's) we are doing quite well with the training.

Training has brought out so many positive things for me - discipline, commitment, strength, structure, confidence, and pride. It has brought back my athletic side ... which I missed so much since starting a family. And honestly, Rob has enjoyed seeing this side of me too -- it was really one of the first things he adored about me when we met in 1996 -- I was a basketball player :) So this training has rekindled a sweet spot for both of us.

I am proud of the dedication Sara and I have given to our training -- heck I only took 9 days off in late January when I got Pneumonia! We have pushed our limits along the way -- like running in pouring rain and praying we wouldn't be struck by lightening. We have run in the snow, rain, dark, and 90 degree humid yuckiness -- whatever it takes to stay on course. We swim 2 nights a week and do doubles 2-3 days a week, we make our husbands bike up treacherous hills and then run with us after and then sometimes ask them if they want to "Shred" (that is a great great video by Jillian Michaels that Michelle introduced me too and it has been an awesome addition to our training regime -- thanks Mich!!!). Most of the time they laugh at us. I have asked Rob many times if he wants to sign up for a coed triathlon -- he looks at me sweetly, "no babe, I don't like to swim, bike or run -- but you have fun!" We've stayed committed to our training even through birthday party season -- yes we have ducked out for a long run and rejoined our kids birthday parties because sometimes that is what it takes to squeeze in training. But I think that doesn't make us insane it makes us strong. Our kids all know we are training, on Thursday mornings when I get Julia up from her crib she looks at me sweetly and says "Mommy all done swimming? Sara all done swimming?" I respond, "Yes sweetie" and Julia smiles and says "Good job".

I am proud to show our children what it means to commit to a goal, to work at that goal, and the fact that it is helping us stay physically fit is just an added bonus :)

So with all of this training, I want to admit that I still have some real anxiety in anticipation for race day. When I see pictures or read about the swimming component I get totally freaked. I have had a few nightmares about drowning ... but I am now feeling confident that I can do my own rescue strokes and get my breathing back under control even if I suck in a ton of water.

With race day just 6 weeks away, I wanted to reflect on the journey we have taken so far and share some of the wonderful things that have come out of our training. I would highly recommend and encourage anyone to think about training for a triathlon, it is truly powerful to feel your body be strong enough to Swim+Bike+Run.

Collage of fun

2010-06-06T15:16:00.004-04:00

We've been having a great Spring already ... many 80 degree days and the girls are enjoying every second of being outside. Take a look at the pictures below ... I think you can see their personalities shining and certainly can tell they love to be individuals and at the same time enjoy every second of being Sisters!

A visit with Nana

2010-05-29T14:23:00.002-04:00

While on my quick trip to see Michelle, I got to see my Nana and my Aunt Kathy. It had been well over a decade since we saw one another, but it felt so wonderful and comforting. We got to catch up and also reminisce about the times spent together in Florida. My sister and I got to go on a plane by ourselves(right after I started Junior High and April was just about to begin High School). We had the best week with our Nana and Aunt -- swimming in the Ocean, Lakes and our favorite ... the River. We saw fireworks at night, ate lots of yummy treats, and always enjoyed afternoon Tea with Nana... I remember a trip to Alligator Alley and the swamp boat tour, ah if I could just find that picture of April and I ... we were pre-teen twigs with long unstyled hair!

Though it has been along time, our hearts are still very tender and will always be full of love for those memories. Our next visit will be longer and it will be a beautiful celebration of my Big Sister's Wedding!!!! :)

Naples!

2010-05-22T12:01:00.001-04:00

Ah vacation!

Emma's Dance Class

2010-05-16T08:42:00.003-04:00

Emma's 1st dance recital is about a month away! Here are some of the newest pictures of our little ballerina -- she really loves all of the tutus and dressing up and has learned most of her dance routine too!

Sleeping beauty by Emma

2010-05-15T19:50:00.001-04:00

Emma's wonderful coloring skills!

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"Orange, 12"

2010-05-11T20:12:00.003-04:00

"Orange" said Julia as she pointed to her orange bowl with her cereal in it. YES! That is orange!!! Wow, did this make Rob and I proud ... we had been wondering over the past two months if Julia could possibly be color blind (I think there is a new more up to date medical term for that but right now I can not think of the smart version, he he). Everything she has pointed to has been "blue?" and more recently "black?". Now she can SAY every color, but point to an object and nope she looks at you and says "blue???" or "black?" This started freaking us out. But low and behold our color quizzing over the past few months may have done the trick ... because today with out ANY prompting she looked at her bowl and told us it was orange! YAY Julia!!!! (And for the partially cynical ... no she does not eat from the same orange bowl everyday, we have a wide variety of colored IKEA bowls that go into rotation ;)

Another new skill of Julia's is ... she is counting! It started with 1-4, then went 1-7 and now 1-12! Yup, she is just rattling off these numbers, must have her Daddy's genes!

Other new Julia tid-bits, she has learned to fake cry and believe me it is quite cute. She's Mommy's little soap opera actress in the making. And finally, at 2 years old she is a skilled painter, for all the "rough and graceless" things she may be, when it comes to coloring and painting this little one is a neat and orderly artist. I often wonder if it is all the lecturing I do before I take out the craft kits "Girls, if I see any paint on the table, floor, or stools then painting is OVER. Julia, if I see you put paint in your mouth, painting is all done." They look at me with the serious eyes and I know they get it -- Mom means business! So, as of right now they are painting with perfect strokes and I have less to wipe up at the end of the day.

Other family tid-bits .... we made it through our 10th tax season! Boy ... a stinking decade!!! And Rob is awaiting a good promotion come July so guess what, it looks as if we will be anticipating another decade of tax seasons. Though, to Rob's credit, he did a great job balancing the pressures and stress of work with the demands of parenthood. Every year we have to try to find different ways to stay connected as a family -- date nights turn into date hour, family dinners on Thursday nights, breakfasts made by Daddy on Saturdays and Sundays , and biking together, are some of the ways we stay connected during the busy season. So, now that it's mid-May I can say with delight, We did it ... Good Bye 10th tax season, Hello Spring and almost the end of the school year!

Another few big things ... in about a week and a half I will take my first flight with out Rob since 2003. I know that must read "OK CRAZY GIRL" to some of you, but over the past decade I acquired a very serious Fear of Flying. I have undergone numerous treatments (therapy, CBT, meditation, journaling, anti-anxiety meds, immersion therapy) and to some degree most of that worked -- while Rob was by my side. But even with him I have also had 3 panic attacks on a plane and believe me when I write ... it is the worst place to have a panic attack!!! You can't leave the situation, it is horrifying to have 100+ people all around you watching as you start hyperventilating, crying, losing control. Absolutely horrifying. Especially for someone who deems herself a pretty good therapist who stinking helps clients face their own fears and anxieties ... so yeah, flying is my Nemesis. But I am doing some work right now to prepare, and bottom line is ... I really miss my best friend, so there you go ... friendship trumps fear! And I have two of the best friends you could ask for (one of which is willing to fly with "little miss fear of flying", I am sure she will have her own tale to share about this experience! Any bets for whether Danielle will ever travel with me again????).

And ... in 74 days I will do my first Triathlon!!!! The training has been going really well. We are actually contemplating signing up for a second triathlon in September!! Why not, we will already be into the grove from our July race!

A two piece?!

2010-04-25T21:04:00.003-04:00

Emma turned 4 this month! It is unbelievable to me that she has now outgrown being a toddler and is now really a kid. With that she received her very first two piece bathing suit. It is absolutely adorable, cute as could be, I actually really do love it ... thank you to Kim who has wonderful taste!! But somehow it freaks the heck out of me that she is moving onto the little bikini!!!! She was completely enamored with this itty bitty bikini, she wore it for 2 days straight ... under her clothes, to bed, running all around the house. Take a look at our no longer little baby girl ... she's a natural at posing for the camera -- and you know what -- she's got the self-confidence that every 4 year old should have ... even if it puts tears in my eyes to watch her grow into a big girl.

Julia watching the seals

2010-04-22T10:02:00.001-04:00

New England aquarium

2010-04-21T09:21:00.001-04:00

Our girls

Happy 4th Birthday ...

2010-04-12T20:04:00.004-04:00

Happy 4th Birthday to our first baby girl ... that's what Emma says we will call her even when we are old "our first baby girl". Even at this young age Emma is very aware of "getting older". She's very inquisitive and keeps us on our toes with questions about that "what will happen when". Emma is definitely a thinker, she comes up with the most elaborate questions. Fortunately for Mommy her best questions come as soon as she wakes up and guess who is there to greet our early riser?? Daddy!!! :) Questions like, "Daddy are you going to get a time out at work for wearing your Yankees shirt?" Gotta love a girl who knows how to discriminate between a Sox and Yankees fan! Emma is also full of character, she's silly and sweet, gives so so much love to her baby sister, and has made Dewey become much more of a "people person" cat ... pretty much by forcing him to play dead while she drags him around the house, see the picture above of Emma making Dewey cuddle with her (note the bear hug she has the cat in). She's recently found a new talent -- she can make great expressions on her face by raising her eyebrows! She really needed to find a talent after her sister received a post with the video of her singing about her shoes ... and one day Emma and I were in the car and she told me she had a new talent, she looked at me as serious as could be and then began moving those big Brooke Shield's eyebrows up down and all around, she's got it down!

Emma likes to be visiting places and things, always needing to know where we are going today and every few days will request for us all to just stay home. A girl after her Mom's heart, already knowing when she needs to slow down and just be home. She's very bright (of course all parents believe that right?) She can write all of her letters, numbers, and draws great pictures of family and flowers, she memorizes entire books and will call you out if you "skip" a page out of story. She's riding her big kid bike and is taking Ballet and Tap dance. She's a very good dance student who will follow all the rules for Ms. Tracey ... but somehow manages to push our buttons every morning while getting ready to leave the house, but she recovers quickly from mini-meltdowns and always with the sweetest affection. She uses big words like "apparently", "supposedly", "obviously", "of course", "fabulous", "marvelous" and "absolutely" ... she really is a fan of those descriptive words to let everyone know she's on top of her game and she know what is going on.

And as Emma turns 4 ... we can report she has been wearing big girl underwear to bed for 3 weeks with out any accidents ... please please oh writing fairies do not let this Jinx us here! We are very proud of her and she's proud of her sticker chart!

Happy 4th Birthday, Emma Michelle -- we love you so much and can't wait to see what the year ahead brings.

Birthday party photos

2010-04-04T20:31:00.006-04:00

Here are some great shots from Julia's Second Birthday Party -- thank you to everyone who came to celebrate and to all of you who sent your wishes from afar! She had a wonderful day.

Julia is 2! All dressed up for her Minnie Mouse party!

We got her Minnie Ears on for about 30 seconds!

Sisterly Love!

The kids enjoying a musical performance

A free for all for Cupcakes!

Big sister gets into the Minnie spirit

Samuel has some great moves!

Julia's 2nd birthday treats! Rob is now our in-house pastry chef, he made our cupcakes with all natural ingredients and used strawberries to get the frosting pink!!!

Sugary sweets for our sweet girl

Emma, Auntie D, and the birthday girl enjoying strawberries

And now the main event, Julia loves her BIG cupcake

Julia asking politely "cake, peeeasse"

A glimpse of their sparkly earrings ...

2010-03-28T15:34:00.003-04:00

Emma and Julia are officially BIG girls ... they have their very own pierced ears! To my surprise they both chose BLUE studs :)

Sparkle, sparkle see the little gems :)

Julia is very proud of her "eeerings"

Here is a picture of the girls right after, walking in the mall very proud of their new jewels.

The Future Mr. & Mrs. Dowling

2010-03-28T12:47:00.003-04:00

My older sister is getting MARRIED!!!!!!!!! I love saying that and typing it. It brings a true smile to my face, mostly because I really see true love between her and Timmy. It's a wonderful thing when you can close your eyes and honestly say "yes, he's the one". Since the moment we met Timmy he's felt like family. And though I was getting a bit antsy as to when he would "pop the question" ... Valentine's Weekend he officially and romantically proposed to April in Boston at the Grandstand Gazebo in the Commons. From April's recount it was sweet and uncharacteristically BIG ... since there was a crowd of teenage girls watching and clapping (April is not a BIG scene gal, but for this kind of a moment I am so glad that Timmy took the chance and made a public declaration of his love and commitment). We were happy to share in the newly engaged couple's bliss at Mom's for a Valentine's Party of Cupcakes and champagne. It is so very exciting!!! We are all enjoying the fun planning and the girls are so enthralled with the idea of dressing up in gowns to be flower girls. Congratulations to April & Timmy!!!!

A sparkling ring signifies a BIG WEDDING ahead!!!

Cheers to April & Timmy

The Blushing Bride-to-Be

Julia dancing!

2010-03-20T08:54:00.005-04:00

Had to share this cute little video of Ms. Julia: She's singing about her shoes, such a girl!!! Click on the black screen and press the triangle to play.

Turning two ...

2010-03-10T04:26:00.001-05:00

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY, JULIA!

Julia is 2 ... how can it be? We are not quite ready to embrace all of the terror that comes with the 2's and the 3's, can't she stay 1 forever?

It seems that with Julia I am holding onto all of those moments tightly, I don't want her to stop wanting to play "rockabye baby" when we get her out of the tub, all snuggled in her towel. Just the sweet face she makes when she looks at me with her teethy smile and jumps onto my lap and says "rocka baby?" ... it makes me melt. Seriously, as of right now there isn't much about Julia that doesn't make you fall in love with her. She is independent, yet loves a good cuddle. She marches to the beat of her own drum, literally -- she will turn anything into a drum or instrument. She's organized, she loves lining up everything from our cabinets and putting them in perfect order on our kitchen floor and then she also finds pleasure in putting things away (she absolutely gets this from her Daddy). Julia loves to snack, she's like a little bird. She'll ask 15 times a day "I eat". If you open the fridge, it's "Mulche (milk) ... peeease". She has wonderful manners -- always saying "peeease" and "tank du (thank you)", she very rarely says "no" but when she does she really really means it (Disney World helped her with this one), she loves to mimic her big sister. Just recently Emma began letting me blow dry her hair and as soon as Julia saw this, she hopped up on the bathroom chair clapped her hands and said "hair mama?". Yup, I will do your hair sweetie. She loves to dress up ... she wears Emma's turquoise shoes and oh yeah she owns that look! It's precious. She likes to pick out her coat everyday and put on her own boots. She's sweet as can be about ... pretty much everything. She loves kisses on her face and giving really big hugs. She is a great sleeper and already has an entire stuffed animal collection her crib. She knows exactly which ones should be in there and if one is missing she'll shout out orders "Boots?" "Mickey?" "Baby?". Then she lays down on her pillow and tucks her right hand into her mouth and say "NIGHT" and goes to sleep. Ah, she's just easy. So here's to wishing that age 2 stays just as peaceful ...

Happy 2nd Birthday, Jules.

Big girl on the swings!

2010-03-09T21:05:00.001-05:00

Big girl now swings by herself and jumps off too-thanks cousin Caity! Hehehe.

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2010-03-04T18:41:00.001-05:00

All dressed up to organize the pantry!
birthday dress from micelle and luigi

FWD:

2010-03-04T17:53:00.001-05:00

Poor Dewey!

Snow day = baking cupcakes

2010-02-10T10:54:00.001-05:00

Almost 4 and quite the baker!
CB#: 6177807532

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Dance class

2010-02-06T16:52:00.003-05:00

Little Jules, loves her sweets and is so stinking cute!!!!

Emma at tap class, wearing her recital costume!

The little tots tap class

Emma, proudly dancing with her costume on!

Had to share these cute pictures from Emma's dance class!

The beginning of uncomfortable questions ...

2010-02-06T13:05:00.002-05:00

This week Emma had me on my toes ...

We were leaving daycare and from our car the kids usually wave out the bay window at Renee's house, well Zachary (a 9 year old 4th grade boy who Emma has known since she was 10 months old) was smiling and waving to us. Miss Emma proceeded to start blowing him kisses -- mimicking her favorite Disney Princess "Ariel" and THEN says:

"Mommy, can we go back inside so I can give Zach a REAL kiss?"

I respond, with a look of horror, "Absolutely not. We do not kiss boys, we only kiss our family."

Emma sat in her carseat, peering out the window and then said "But Mommy, why do I want to kiss boys?".

Now, I could have taken that question a NUMBER of ways, but my little girl really wanted to know why she was feeling like kissing a boy!!!!!! It was not something I thought I would be discussing with her any time soon. So, I quickly validated her ...

"Emma, it is probably because you are friends with all of the kids at daycare and he was waving to show you how he has fun playing at Renee's too, but you CAN'T just kiss boys. You can give them a hug but no kisses. It's wonderful that you have fun and like your friends but we save kisses for our parents and sister and can give kisses on the cheek to our family and friends."

Emma smiled, looked sweetly at me and said "Ok, Mommy".

Whew ... hopefully we will not be having this conversation again ... and hopefully she really means "Ok, Mommy" and does not become a "kissing bandit" as Auntie Danielle so kindly pointed out! :)

Delights!

2010-01-30T09:56:00.005-05:00

MMMMM, Cookies!

PINK Sprinkles!

Emma was very focused and trying her best to get the "dots" to stay

Julia is eating all of the cookies before Emma can decorate them!

Emma putting on some sprinkly touches

The Pink Princess Cookbook with Emma's decorated cookies!

We came home from vacation to a beautifully wrapped pink princess package! It was sent from Jack, to the girls -- surely his Mommy is the one who had all of the fun picking out the precious Pink Princess cookbook and pink princess frosting and gels. There was an "E", a "J", and a crown cookie cutter ... Both girls were incomplete awe of the prettiness of it! So we got right to it and made some yummy -- but not quite beautiful sugar cookies!! Thank you to the Sopers for a great surprise!

Disney through our eyes ...

2010-01-17T20:50:00.004-05:00

We drove 2500 miles with two children under age 4 in a one week period ...
AND we are still happily married!

Rob and I are quite impressed with how smooth our vacation went. Other than having very little quality time alone we were all rather happy and enjoyed the magic of Orlando -- well namely "Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom".

The road trip was long, but we had plenty of yummy and nutritious -- ok and some not so healthy but nevertheless, very yummy Christmas Cookies from Auntie April, to help us get through the 21 hour ride. We stopped over night halfway down the Eastern seaboard. The girls did great transitioning from car to bed and then we hit the road again early in the morning. Thankfully the girls had lots of new car toys from RaRa, PopPop, Auntie April and Uncle Timmy, and Nana and Grandpa! Our family is quite amazing at helping us out!! :)

On the way down, we made a "late in the game" decision to change our hotel reservation to a Resort reservation and believe me ... it was WELL worth the extra money!!! We did not stay at Disney, but were very close by and since we had our KerraVan we had no problems getting to and from the park each day -- actually we preferred this since we were travelling with little ones who still need a late day nap.

We found the best plan for enjoying the parks was ... get there EARLY, as soon as the gates open. When we were able to do that we had a good 2.5 hours inside the park just roaming with out crowds but as soon as 10:30 a.m. hit, the parks were MOBBED!!! And Rob and I both agree, we are definitely NOT crowd kind of people. The girls seemed to tolerate the crowding much better than us ... but something they did not tolerate well ... RIDES ... that was a bit of a let down. Neither of them liked the rides. Even the ones meant for little tots. Emma immediately went into panic mode -- hands over ears, screaming "pick me up Mommy", and then tears streaming down her face. Julia also emerged with a new timid side of her ... she learned "No" and how to appropriately use it on this vacation. Such as "NO! Done now. DONE!! NO!" That is what you would here as soon as we sat on the Pooh ride. Then in Mickey's Philharmagic (the 3D movie ride which is supposed to be for ALL ages), it was in concert by Emma and Julia -- "Done. NO!!! Done now!!!" then crying for 7 minutes straight in the back of the theatre, where we were not allowed to exit. So our poor little ladies did not enjoy that part of Disney BUT, and this is what makes the 1250 mile (one way) ride ALL worth it ...

The twinkle in their eyes when they met the Princesses! Oh boy, we definitely knew Emma was enthralled with the Princess stuff but we didn't realize that Julia too was going to become mesmerized. It was absolutely priceless. When we walked through the gates and Cinderella's Castle was magically with in reach both girls just looked starry eyed around and smiled and giggled and ran with such utter childhood pleasure. It was magical. Those are the moments that make it worth it. We sat on "It's a Small World" as a family and just enjoyed the simple message and song and each of us parents with one child on our laps, snuggling in, it just was sweet and peaceful. This was their favorite "ride" and that is just fine with me.

We also indulged in 2 Character Meals -- they were very special for the girls. As adults I think we would have chosen to do a different kind of dining out but for them to meet Mickey and his friends and have dinner with Cinderella and Prince Charming ... and Emma got to slow dance with the Prince ... so yes the Character thing is worth it ... for them.

We did have another Julia scare ... this little lady is the one who keeps us on our toes. She is the child who pushes the limits, always with a cute little dimpled grin ... but still pushes the limits. We were sitting in the wading pool -- yup you read that correctly, we had pool weather 2 times while in Florida!! Woohoo! So we were sitting in the wading pool and Julia wants to be able to swim on her belly, she's pushing in and out with her arms, keeping her head above water and then starts trying to blow bubbles. She was doing great and started giggling and gave me that mischievous eye ... and then BIG GULP ... water up her nose, down her throat and then ... VOMIT. She took in too much water, continued to profusely vomit for 10 minutes and then the EMT's were called. Yea, it was scary. There was more vomit than I could have imagined possible from this little one's body. Fortunately it was her body's natural response to get rid of the chlorine and water and she was fine, but come on Julia ... enough with these antics :) So for now, Julia is not going swimming because Mommy can't handle it.

We know we will go back to Walt Disney World ... and we know the next time the experience will be different because they will be older and hopefully more "brave" but for our first time down it was, for us, just perfect.

Christmas

2010-01-05T21:10:00.005-05:00

Where do I begin? We left for our vacation in the middle of the day on Christmas!!!!! That is not something I like to do, but for the sake of travel time and giving the girls a full vacation we made the right decision.

RaRa and PopPop came over on Christmas eve and we enjoyed a joint holiday appetizer party at Rob's aunt's house. It has been awhile since the two families have joined and it was nice. Not something I am ready to do every holiday but it was nice to have my Mom and Michael join us. I think they had fun too. Emma and Julia were adorable that night, playing with their big "cousins". Basically we realized that neither of the girls are too boy shy ... unfortunately! They ate it up having all of the attention from the teenage boys. At one point Emma told Rob, "Daddy, go ... enjoy the party" as she scooted him out of the den doorway he had been peering into to check in on them. UH OH, we are definitely in trouble! After the party we let the girls stay up a bit later than usual and we took a ride across town to see a great Holiday spectacular that this one house has going on. They have over 30,000 lights on their house/lawn and they have it all set to music and you tune into a radio station in your car ... it's really neat: http://www.youtube.com/user/QuietCornerChristmas#p/a/u/2/GKSWy7E-89E

We had a blast watching it! And then it was bed time for the little cherubs, there were absolutely no peeps from either child because they both knew the faster they went to sleep the faster Santa would arrive with special gifts for them. And then the elves went to work and prepared all of the special toys ~ a gigantic doll house for them to share (note to all -- read measurements before buying online, I did not and now this thing takes up 1/3 of the playroom!), Baby Alive for Julia, Magical Ariel for Emma, Crayola Activity Centers, Lincoln Logs, a ZhuZhu pet, and stockings filled to the brim with snacks and treats for the ride to Florida. But the biggest surprise Santa brought -- an Ariel Big Wheels for Julia -- well actually it was supposed to be from Auntie A and Uncle Timmy but it took over an hour to assemble and at 12 midnight we no longer had the gusto to wrap it, so it was placed in the Santa pile!!! Um, I think I will have to delete this post before the girls start to read ;) Anyway, who knew that this was going to be THE gift ... well RaRa did ... she said many times ... "do you think you should put Julia's name on it" ... Emma is really going to want that. I said "Santa doesn't write tags or wrap ... not this year at least". Well first thing Emma saw was the Ariel bike and was enamoured, but we quickly acknowledged that Santa had gotten this special gift for the girls to share ... and so far that is just what they are doing. Julia is obsessed with it, all of our vacation she asked for her "biiiiike", very cute.

We adults were also VERY spoiled ... it's hard to summarize because we were given so very much. Our family has always been good at giving just the perfect gifts with just the right amount of love. I love Christmas ... I love that my Mom, Michael, my Sister and her boyfriend all want to be here with us and we want to be with them ... hanging out in our Crazy Christmas Pajamas ... yup we had April change as soon as she stepped through the door ... and even when Rob's parents arrived for French Toast Casserole, Quiche, and coffee we all stayed in those Crazy PJ's! :) It was wonderful.

Whew, this post was supposed to be about Disney ... but I needed to share how wonderful Christmas was ...

Christmas/Disney Pictures

2010-01-04T21:08:00.002-05:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Here is a slideshow of Christmas and Disney World ... we had the best time ... a full report to follow sometime this week (hopefully!).

Happy New Year to you all!!!

Press the Play button to see the slideshow.

Happy Birthday, Rob

2009-12-30T20:21:00.000-05:00

Wishing Rob the happiest day ... we love you so very much!!

Rob is going to have the best celebration dinner with all of his ladies ... plus a Princess, Prince Charming and the step-sisters. What Dad would want it any other way?

2009-12-30T16:05:00.001-05:00

Having a blast at Disney. Aren't these ears adorable? Good thing RaRa and PopPop gave us loot these things are pricey!

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