Life with Jemma and James

'Tis the Holiday Season

2010-12-02T01:40:00.009-05:00

I haven't been blogging lately, but my New Year's resolution is to get back to it. We went to the Picture People last night and had photos taken. Here are a few! :)
And, my favorite of the kids:

Christmas Card 2010

2010-12-02T01:36:00.001-05:00

Picture Joy Christmas

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Getting settled

2010-07-14T20:45:00.001-04:00

We are in CA! The kids seemed to be happy and there are tons of other kids to play with on base. This is our first night with our new house (and no furniture). :)

Too funny...

2010-06-14T07:42:00.002-04:00

This is hilarious! http://mycharmingkids.net/2010/05/a-haiku-a-chevy-aveo-and-pregnancy-brain/

I so needed a good laugh this morning... so much to do before the packers arrive on Thursday!!! :) Thank goodness that Papa is here to play with the kids this morning...

House update

2010-04-02T23:07:00.003-04:00

Our house is under contract! Beautiful words... under contract!!! The realtor called to let me know of the offer yesterday morning as I was cleaning and preparing in case someone wanted to see the house later. I was surprised and didn't want to get overly excited since the offer was what I considered too low. So, we countered this morning and they accepted. We signed the paperwork this afternoon. If all goes well, we'll be closing June 23. What a relief...

Surprise!

2010-03-29T13:50:00.001-04:00

James has a birthday that just keeps going. He got a new gift from Aunt Karen, Uncle Ken and Cousin Elizabeth today... can you tell that he is happy?!?

Our friends, Trina and Derek, are in town and headed here right now! We are so excited to have them visit. What a great day!! :)

Listed

2010-03-08T22:28:00.002-05:00

It is official http://www.williamlayton.com... now, somebody nice please buy our house soon! :)

James Birthday

2010-03-05T23:50:00.009-05:00

My baby boy is THREE!! How the time does fly...

The day began with James opening his gift from GrandMary. And, since it is Friday he was able to wear this adorable outfit to school. I LOVED this Gymboree line... he has quite a few pieces from it!

We had friends over to celebrate with pizza for dinner. Evan and Caleb are just cute, cute little redheads!

A face that mommy loves... even with lots of pizza sauce!James went upstairs with Jemma and Mya just before dinner and reappeared dressed in this outfit. Gotta love having a big sister...Piper is an excellent eater!Colton... a new big brother and so, so cute!

There were only two men who could make the celebration and you could tell that there were kids who missed playing rough with their Daddies... poor Rob!

Then it was time for cake! Bloom has such fresh and yummy chocolate cake. There will be a pirate themed cake for James' party at MyGym later.

James requested cupcakes with sprinkles, so made a batch for the kids!

Just before bed, we skyped with GrandMary. She got James paints and brushes and art supplies... he opened them while we were skyping and then he and Jemma went to paint immediately! Thankfully, they were washable paints because there was a lot of paint on our newly painted walls!

And yes, James dressed up again after our guests left...

Orders

2010-03-03T16:35:00.001-05:00

It's official... Jim is to report to Lemoore in July. I met with the realtor yesterday and our house is going on the market Monday. Progess is being made...

Yellow stripe

2010-03-01T23:45:00.001-05:00

Jemma tested for and passed to get her yellow stripe! :)

Taking Daddy to the airport

2010-02-21T16:33:00.001-05:00

We took Daddy to the airport this morning. The kids had a wonderful time riding the escalator!Then, it was time for hugs and kisses!

Jemma took this picture of us:

We gave Daddy lots of hugs and kisses, then as Jim was walking away from us, James yells, "But I WANT to say goodbye to my Daddy!" Jim came back and gave James and Jemma more hugs and kisses. It is so hard to say goodbye...

We went straight from the airport to church. It was James first Sunday in Children's church (instead of the nursery) and he did really well. He is becoming my big boy... can't believe that he will soon be THREE!

Forehead

2010-02-09T16:24:00.002-05:00

James and I were reading on the couch and he asked, "Mommy, what is on your forehead?"

I replied, "Nothing. Why, do you see something?"

James says, "Yes. What are those lines?"

I responded, "Wrinkles, honey. Those are called wrinkles..."

I think this question ranks right up there with Jemma's question, "Mommy, why do you still look like you have a baby in your tummy?" The innocent questions that just remind me of harsh reality...

And, we have snow again...

Derek's party

2010-01-10T11:07:00.002-05:00

Jemma and I took lots of trips together when she was little because Jim was doing work-ups and was away alot. It has been quite a while since just she and I travelled together. We took off Friday after school and headed to MD. We spent the night with Olivia and Jason, who have a very cute house! (I didn't even think of getting out the camera because we had just such a lovely time chatting and catching up!) Olivia made bacon and waffles for breakfast Saturday morning and Jemma got one of the greatest presents... a create-your-own storybook! It was just a quick visit, but I'm so glad we got to stay!

Then, Jemma and I headed to Fairfax for Derek's 5th birthday party. Jemma told me that she was going to marry Derek... I'm glad that she is role playing and learning about relationships. It is very cute... The party was crazy. There were 18 kids with too much energy to be stuck indoors, but it was too cold to go out! The enjoyed pin-the-tail on the donkey (Jemma got the closest and won a prize), pass the present, guess how many M&M's, building Legos, and coloring. They had pizza and cake and ice cream. After cake and ice cream, the kids played hide-and-go-seek. How many kids do you think can hide in one bathtub?It was a party fit for any 5 year old! And I was impressed with how well Jemma played with all the kids. The other kids all go to school together, so I was a little concerned about Jemma being left out, but she fit right in! She was quite the little social butterfly and I was very proud.

After the last kid was picked up, Jemma and Derek played for a little while. They are such good friends!

Then, Jemma and I headed for home. We left Fairfax before 4 pm and didn't arrive until after 8 pm. We only stopped at Panera for dinner (love their new Mac-n-cheese, although Jemma says that mine is better!) and for gas once in Fredericksburg. Traffic on I-95S was horrible, and I'm so glad Jim will be with us on our trip to DC next weekend...

Sadness...

2009-12-20T23:10:00.002-05:00

Scout passed away today. I hope she is in heaven running around and dancing with the angels... we are all so sad that she is no longer with us...
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Part I

2009-12-20T16:33:00.000-05:00

I'm writing this just about the first half of this day... this was such a happy time...

We went to church, ran home to change clothes and rushed to the ice skating rink near the Pembroke mall. This was our first and hopefully not our last trip ice skating. Jemma had such fun! James didn't enjoy it so much, but he is still young. He did however, enjoy Mya's birthday cake and cupcakes! :)
Daddy putting on James' skates:Daddy helping James get around:Jemma didn't want to wait, so Merin (who is a great skater) took her out on the rink while I stayed behind with Piper and Scout (I'm a much better at taking care of the kids than ice skating):James was done skating, so it was Jemma's turn with Daddy:Then, it was pizza and cake time!

When open skate was over, the recreational hockey team was playing a game. So Mya stayed with us to watch. The kids were loving watching the guys play!

While Merin was out skating with Jemma, Scout grabbed my finger and gave me the cutest little half smile. I loved getting those little smiles...

While we were eating cake, Merin asked me if I thought Scout's lips looked blue or if I thought it was the lighting. I told her that it was cold and the lighting was poor, but I just wasn't sure. Merin wanted to get Scout home quickly, so Mya stayed behind with us...

Part II

2009-12-20T12:59:00.001-05:00

After we had been home from Mya's party for about 15 minutes, Jim got a call from Kelly. He requested that we keep Mya away from the windows because the ambulance was coming for Scout. I cranked up the music and the girls were dancing in Jemma's room.

My thoughts were that this was just another trip to the hospital for Scout. I went over and got Piper, so both Merin and Kelly could be with Scout. We told Mya that she could have a sleepover with Jemma and it was like the perfect ending of the day for her! They were so happy playing dress up and eating dinner together! We even had take out Chinese because I had not been to the commissary as I had planned earlier, and they love lo mein noodles!

It was just before 7pm, when I was trying to get a very fussy Piper to sleep that Jim gave me the news. Scout's heart had just given out. Yes, Scout had been "sick" and had lots of issues for a long time, but I just was not expecting it. She had just held my finger and given me a smile a few hours earlier. She had been fighting and healing for so long... I was heartbroken for the Shekitka family. I held Piper and sang and she fell asleep in my arms... it was almost as if she had known...

Mya got ready for bed at our house and then I took her home to wait for her parents. She was on cloud 9... birthday party, presents, playing with Jemma... I knew what was about to come and I could not do anything. It was such a heartwrenching and difficult time when Merin told her about Scout. I sat with our other neighbors in a separate room and listened to her cry... it is hard enough for an adult to deal with, but entirely painful for a little girl.

I stayed with Merin for a while, along with our wonderful neighbors Dave and Kara. It was a very difficult evening filled with tears, stories, and wine. I am very grateful that Kelly was home. I am very grateful that Jim was home. I cannot imagine this with them away.

Update

2009-12-01T23:24:00.004-05:00

We had a WONDERFUL, AMAZING, PERFECT trip to Disney. It is truly a magical, happy place. We got back just after midnight on Saturday and Jim left early Monday morning for a det out west. I did laundry on Sunday and took a nap. Jim was such a wonderful husband... he cooked pancakes, cleaned out the minivan, put all the Christmas boxes in the office (which I have yet to touch!), went to work for a few hours and made it home to give the kids a bath! I ordered our Christmas cards yesterday (it takes some people minutes to do theirs... yet, I research all the options for printing and shipping and play with pictures and wording so it takes me hours) and managed to stay home most of today getting "stuff" done today. I am finally done unpacking and the laundry is back to "normal."

I awoke at 8:15 this morning to James yelling, "Mommy, where are you?" Yes, I need to be out of the house no later than 8:45 to get Jemma to school on time! (Tomorrow my alarm is set for 6:45 AM and not PM!) So, I roused Jemma from a deep sleep and finally had her dressed and eating breakfast at 8:35. Thankfully, Merin's mom is in town for a visit so I asked if she could take the girls to school. I love having awesome neighbors!!

One day very soon I will take the time to blog about our trip and post pictures. But, for now, here are my favorite four!

At the Animal Kingdom:Jemma holding Tinkerbell:Jim and I went to the Magic Kingdom one evening for the fireworks and to ride space mountain:The best family photo during our trip in front of the Tree of Life at the Animal Kingdom:

I'm off to bed...

Crazy, busy day!

2009-11-17T21:32:00.009-05:00

Today was one of those crazy, busy, mostly fun, days... the type of day where it is 9:30 and I'm sitting here to blog even though the dishwasher was never unloaded this morning and the breakfast dishes are still sitting on the sink!

I took the girls to school, then James and I went to MyGym for Art class at 9:15. I had to run home to grab the reusable shopping bags before dashing to the Aquarium for Toddler story time at 11. It was puppet show day and James loves the puppet show! Then, we headed to the base to pick up some paperwork at the clinic after stopping at McD for a quick lunch. We are out of bread, fresh fruits, and just about everything healthy at home, so James and I went to the Commissary. We arrived home and I unpacked the groceries and put them away. Then, we loaded back into the car to get the girls from school. We made a brief stop at home to get the girls into pants and zoomed to Sandbridge to see the barge. It is big and impressive and certainly something that you don't see everyday! The wind was cold and strong... we only stayed a few minutes! There was a jetski going out to check on something...These are two of the three tugboats that they are hoping are going to tug the barge out at high tide tonight: Can you see how close it is to the fishing pier?We made a brief snack stop at home, then proceeded to MyGym for free play. MyGym was followed by a birthday dinner at Red Robin (Jemma's choice) with friends. Jemma, Mya and James enjoying a sundae:Stephanie, Caleb and Evan:The kids all loved Red Robin!When we finally made it back home, it was 7:45 and both kids needed bed!! I never made it to the gym today. Yet, I feel the need for rest, too! However, a load of laundry and stack of dishes are calling my name... plus, I have got to get us ready for our Disney trip!! :)

PB & J

2009-11-16T22:03:00.002-05:00

James loves peanutbutter and jelly sandwhiches! He asks for them all of the time... breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner... and it does not matter the type of peanutbutter or jelly or bread! Here he is enjoying a snack. :)
Granny's birthday is today... Happy Birthday!! :)

Finally, the SUN!!! :)

2009-11-15T22:08:00.004-05:00

What a glorious day!! We woke to sunshine!!! :)

We went to church, then ventured to Sandbridge to try to get a peek at the barge that got stuck ashore during the Nor'Easter. There were just too many people for us... maybe we'll get to look tomorrow. Besides, there was a birthday party to attend this afternoon! Food (nuggets, mac-n-cheese, Doritos and juice boxes... perfection for kids!), ponies, ducks, a rabbit and goat followed by cake and ice cream! What a wonderful party!! :)

When we returned home, James said, "I'm tired. I want to go to bed." So, he took a late afternoon nap while Jim and I worked on getting our poor little pine tree stood back up. We are truly hoping that it survives after toppling over during the storm!

More rain...

2009-11-13T22:18:00.003-05:00

No school again today... there is more rain and more wind... it has got to be better tomorrow! Thank goodness this isn't snow!!!

Here are Jemma, James and Mya "crafting" again. At least they love drawing and coloring and doing stamps.

Friends at Sandbridge had no power, so the were our guests for the evening. Jim read to the kids. Their Dad (a Navy officer, too) is still in CO and they really enjoyed cuddling with Jim!It was so wonderful to have guests... we love visitors!!! :)

Nor'Easter

2009-11-12T22:27:00.000-05:00

There is no school today because of a Nor'Easter. I was explaining this to Jemma over breakfast. She asks, "Can we hide eggs?" Not Easter, the holiday. Nor'Easter... the weather system. Cute thought, though! So, I think that today shall be pajama day...

I did make a pumpkin pie from one of our Halloween pumpkins... Nanny's recipe! And it is yummy...

The power has blinked on and off several times... here is hoping that we keep power! :)

And yes, I'm stayed in my pajamas all day! The kids dressed up in every outfit in the house, but I'm still in what I started the day in. What a lazy day.

I Collect!

2009-09-22T21:22:00.002-04:00

Today was a wonderful day. James and I met a friend, Carol and her little girl, for breakfast at Panera. After being there a few minutes, I invited Carol back to our house because the kids were restless. They had such fun playing and we had such a wonderful time chatting and "catching up" on life!

After lunch, James wanted to go to the park. It is a quick trip... usually. We can see the park from our house. We spent 1 1/2 hours this trip and only about 15 minutes was spent at the park. We had to stop every few feet, with James saying, "I collect, Mommy." He collected twigs, acorns, leaves. We even watched a group of ants for about 15 minutes. Thank goodness he didn't want to collect those!!! The little yellow bucket on the back of his tricycle is full even though I would toss items out while he was distracted with "collecting" something else!

Mya joined us for dinner. I had made tomato sauce this summer with yummy green pepper and tomatoes from my parents' garden (something that I will truly miss when we move!), so I defrosted the sauce and added zucchini and squash from the produce stand. Doesn't this just look yummy?!? When Mya came in to wash her hands, she put her hands on her hips and said, "Miss Jen, do you have Parmesan cheese and olive oil? That is how I like my spaghetti." I informed her that dinner was already made and on her plate. If she didn't like it, then she could return home and eat with her family. She cleaned her plate... as did Jemma. In fact, Jemma had a second plate! Yippie for being able to feed the kids healthy stuff!!

After dinner, it was homework time. My goal is to get homework done on Tuesdays since Jemma has martial arts on Monday, Pioneer club at church on Wednesday, and dance on Thursday! James wants to do homework, too. So, I photocopy Jemma's homework and James does the same thing. It is really quite cute and makes it easier not having to worry about what James is getting into! Jim was supposed to go to the boat yesterday, but the boat didn't pull out on time. So, he was supposed to go today. I was pleasantly surprised when he came home a few minutes ago... wonder if he will go tomorrow?!?

Carpet Update

2009-09-21T10:44:00.000-04:00

We borrowed a steam cleaner from our neighbor and the carpet is like new! :) James did not like the extensive time out. He also did not like his Daddy's firm negative reaction. I do not think he will color the carpet again...

Young artist

2009-09-16T20:49:00.004-04:00

James loves to draw. I try to encourage by providing markers, crayons, paints... all kinds of things. I always say, "Paper. Paper is where we draw. And the sidewalk with sidewalk chalk." I know that he understands because he repeats and says this all by himself. Today he tested the boundary...

Yes, he drew on EVERY step... I have borrowed the neighbor's steam cleaner and hope that it comes clean! He is quick... very, very quick...

Tailhook

2009-09-14T21:05:00.017-04:00

The beginning of our trip was Wednesday, Sept 9. I had planned and packed and worried (just a little). The planning included having Jim print directions to school, the pediatrician, dance lessons and even my parents house in the event of a hurricane or any other emergency! It also meant letters to the teachers notifying them of our trip and contact information. I had not updated our home emergency/babysitter instruction sheets in over a year, so I prepared those with all kinds of contacts. I had a tear in my eye as Jemma hugged my neck at school. James was so excited to be at school that I didn't even get a hug!

When I planned the trip I thought the Tailhook events began on Thursday, so I had us departing Wednesday. It worked out great because Mary's flight was scheduled to land just after 11 and we were scheduled to take off just after 2. So, after having lunch with Mary in the airport and writing notes to our kids on cocktail napkins, it was time to go through security and begin our journey! As it turned out, Tailhook events didn't begin until Friday. So, we had Thursday just for ourselves. Thursday morning began with massages and pedicures for both of us at the hotel. It was wonderful to be pampered after the long journey! It was Jim's 40th birthday present and just a special treat for me! After being pampered, we put on our sneakers and hiked around Spooner Lake. Of course, my husband had to climb a big rock!

Although you can't see it in the picture, you could see Lake Tahoe from this vista.After hiking, we went to an amazing restaurant in Incline Village. We sat on the patio with a view of Lake Tahoe and had an especially wonderful dinner. There was a guitar player who strolled around and sang, too. I had cucumber soup with mint and smoked salmon. Jim had soup, too. Then we split a steak special... yummy! :)

Jim and I sat on the dock and watched the sunset over Lake Tahoe... beautiful! :) Can you tell that we were relaxed?!?

On Friday, we travelled to Fallon to see the Blue Angels perform. I wanted to go to Fallon because Jim spends so much time there for training. We could see the hot air balloon races every morning from our hotel. We got an even better view on our drive. It was so neat to see all the hot air balloons!You can see the pink Energizer bunny balloon if you look really close!

A scenic stop just before Virginia City on our way to Fallon... yes, we took the long scenic route!
Random "art" along the highway:

Jim gave me the grand tour of NAS Fallon, but only after stopping to get a monster burrito from one of the guy's favorite local spots in Fallon. We were very fortunate to be able to spend some time with "Woogie" and chat before heading into the airshow. Amy "Spur" was absolutely wonderful to give us VIP passes for the Blue Angels show in Fallon. Here she is making sure that everything is done right on cue!

The Blue Angels performed such a good show!
Jim wants to fly one of these. It is a retired aircraft and this one is privately owned.

Ken and Karen flew in Friday afternoon. We met them for the flight suit mixer Friday night, which was tons of fun. At least until about 10pm. It was then that the jet lag and time difference hit me! I had to say goodnight and head to bed. It was so convenient that we were staying in the host hotel and Jim could continue to mingle and have fun! On Saturday, Ken and Karen were at the awards luncheon with us.Jim accepting the award... NFO (Naval Flight Officer) of the year!Back at the table with his award:After the luncheon was over:This is Jim's current CO, Daniel Dwyer:After the luncheon, we drove to Squaw Valley for dinner. Squaw Valley is where the brothers went for their bonding weekend, so they were able to tell stories and show us around!

After dinner we stopped at a park near Lake Tahoe and there was a beautiful rainbow!

The same beautiful rainbow over Lake Tahoe

We were driving back to Reno and Ken said, "Look a helicopter." I was looking up and all around and then noticed a helicopter coming up from down a ravine. He was carrying water and went to dump it on a fire. Jim pulled off on the side of the road and we watched him circle back, lower into the ravine, scoop water and fly back to the fire. It was pretty neat! :)

After dropping Ken and Karen off at their hotel, it was time for us to go and pack for our trip back home. We had such a wonderful, wonderful trip but we both missed the kids! I am so grateful for GrandMary watching the kids. It was my first trip away from them and everything went wonderfully. In fact, the kids rarely wanted to talk to us when we called (and I was good... we only called once per day) because they were so busy having fun! It is nice to be home... although, I am quite tired from the travelling!

James' First Day of school

2009-09-09T09:29:00.001-04:00

James was lucky enough to spend some time in his classroom yesterday, since it was Tuesday and not his official first day of school. Today is his first real day and it is going to be a long one, since we are leaving for NV today. He is staying to nap until 3:30 when GrandMary will pick up both kids and begin her adventure! :)

It was a beautiful morning, but the kids were so anxious to get into school that these are the only pictures...

Now, we are off to Nevada... I'll post when we return! :)

First Day of School

2009-09-08T23:05:00.005-04:00

Jemma with her new backpack! I had a difficult time getting Jemma and James to stand still for a picture... they were ready!

It was raining for Jemma's first day of school, so we didn't get a good picture.Daddy with James:

Jemma's daily schedule is posted outside of her classroom:
Jemma was so excited to see her friends:

Since it was Tuesday, it technically was not James' first day. The teachers were kind enough to let him stay for a little while, though.

It was Mya's first day of kindergarten. She is upstairs with the "big kids" now.

After leaving Rollingwood, (James was crying, "I don't want to leave!") we went to the Aquarium for storytime.Miss Jenny leading the kids in a song before the story:

Jemma had a wonderful first day of school! :)

Random...

2009-08-11T21:47:00.003-04:00

I took the kids to free play at MyGym at 11:30. (They needed to get energy out and complained that it was too hot to play outside.) On the way to MyGym, James decided to stick his finger down his throat. This caused him to puke. He started saying, "Mommy, clean it. CLEAN IT. It's on my fingers... and my pants. Clean it." I did the best I could. Unfortuntely it was over 90 degrees and the smell in the minivan was awful after sitting while we did freeplay. Yuck!

After freeplay, we went to a local restaurant for a quick lunch. While we were sitting there, Jemma says, "I wish I could take Irish Folk Dancing classes." I'm not sure where this comment came from... there had to be some gears turning in that head of hers...

While we were waiting for their grilled cheese sandwich, they started playing with the jelly packets that were on the table. Jemma wanted the orange marmalade and James wanted the grape jelly. So, I allowed them to put jelly on their sandwich. The waitress seemed to disapprove... I figured why not let them try it... it is just a little jelly! Jemma went to her MyGym class, then James finished his lunch and we ran errands.

It was almost three when we returned home. I had planned to let James skip his nap and take them both to the pool, but James grabbed his stuffed animals and headed to bed all by himself. So, Jemma and I went while he napped. It was a perfect day for swimming and Jemma did so, so, so good! She was putting her face in the water and kicking and using her arms without using a noodle! She swam the width of the pool several times. And she emphasized that, "it is not a race." She wanted me to swim BESIDE her and keep her company. I was impressed. It is quite an improvement from the beginning of the summer until now!

Big boy bed

2009-08-08T21:20:00.001-04:00

James got a new big boy bed! I had not planned to purchase a new bed for James since his crib converts to a full size bed (if you have the conversion kit, which we never purchased...) and it is really nice. However, one of our neighbors was moving and I just could not resist this set! He loves it. We didn't put the desk on the end, so he has a little play cave and Jim bought a rope light and mounted it under the bed which is perfect for "camping" and playing. I hope this lasts for many years to come!

I made blueberry butter. I picked the blueberries from Pungo and cooked them in the crockpot, so it was pretty easy. I'm hoping to pick apples this fall and make applebutter, too. There is something really nice knowing exactly what your family is eating!

Here is Jemma in her bed with all of her animals. One of new favorite games is to pretend that she is the teacher and the animals are her students.

We are just soaking in "Daddytime" since he departs tomorrow for a quick trip...

Alive and wonderful!

2009-07-17T14:42:00.003-04:00

All is wonderful here... I've been having too much fun and enjoying having my husband home too much to blog lately. One of these days, I'll catch up!

*****

The Pottery Barn Kids catalog arrived just over 2 weeks ago and Jemma spotted the pink polka dotted backpack and asked for it. I had planned to get her a LLBean bag this year because they are so durable, but she really wanted the PBK one... it arrived today. Such excitement!! :)

James has decided that EVERYTHING is a diving board... the bed, the couch, the front stairs... hopefully, he will not have any broken bones as a result of this recent obsession with jumping off of everything!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!!! :)

Amy Graduated!

2009-06-05T23:56:00.003-04:00

My baby sister graduated from Danville Regional Medical Center School of Health Professionals Nursing Program! I'm so happy for her and very proud of her hard work! :)

It was a late night, so Jemma and James stayed at Granny and Papa's house with a babysitter.

Nicole and I ready to go!

Amy looked so little and cute on stage...

Diploma and a rose in hand...

Amy with Mom and Dad...

The sisters...

The extended family...

Amy with Jerry and his family:

We had a late dinner after the ceremony!

Jemma's Last Day of School

2009-06-05T21:52:00.003-04:00

Today was Jemma's last day of school! This was her Tinkerbell backpack for the year... next year's bag will be smaller and wheel-free! :)

Playing outside

2009-06-02T21:44:00.003-04:00

What a beautiful day to be outside! Jemma, Mya and James had such fun running through the sprinklers and eating a snack outside. I love our home and neighbors... Daddy in Jemma's princess chair!

Dancing

2009-05-27T21:36:00.003-04:00

Jemma was invited to go to dance class with Mya for "Bring a Friend Day" today. Talk about one happy little girl! :) She wants to take dance classes next year...

Memorial Day

2009-05-26T07:00:00.006-04:00

I want my kids to know and understand holidays, but being 2 & 4 they don't quite yet "get it." I explained to them several times that Memorial Day is for honoring those who serve today (like Daddy and so many of our friends), served in the past (like Papa, Uncle Ken and Aunt Karen, and a host of our friends) and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice and died serving our country. Yes, they are definitely too young for that last category. It just started a whole discussion that included death, heaven, God, Nanny, Aunt Irene, and burials. Hopefully our lengthy discussions will one day be effective...

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We had an absolutely wonderful weekend!

It began with Daddy getting home early on Friday! We went strawberry picking and Daddy actually was home prepping the mower when we returned just after 3! Yippie!! We had the Norman family over for dinner... chicken on the grill with salad, sweet potatoes and mac-n-cheese. Jemma, Marisa and James had fun playing together and the adults got to visit and chat. We love having them over to visit!

On Saturday, we went to the Pungo Strawberry Festival. We saw the parade, watched the pig races, ate strawberry shortcake, saw the clowns perform, then watched the pig races again. Jemma said her favorite part of the day was the pig races. James said his favorite part of the day was the instruments. (They had 4 marching bands from local schools... Jemma covered her ears and James got all excited and clapped!)

We left home Sunday morning bound for Annapolis. We had a picnic lunch and then headed for our pirate adventure (see the movie clip on the Family Tree blog).

A bit of training before boarding the ship:

See Jemma manning the cannon... we had to get the key from the bad Pirate Pete!

Reading the treasure map:

The kids getting their part of the buried treasure:

James after drinking the "grog" (know to adults as Sunkist)After the pirate adventure, we walked around the Naval Academy grounds. I wanted to show the kids the chapel where we were married, but there were weddings. So, we saw the outside and several brides! Here is Daddy with Jemma and James in front of Bill the Goat.

We were so lucky to have Tracy come up to visit with us! :) We had dinner at the Ramshead Tavern... yummy! Then, we were all in bed by 9... what a long, fun day!

On Monday, we headed to the National Zoo. I wanted to take the kids before the weather turned too hot. We arrived before 10, which is the opening of the zoo. The panda was eating bamboo and he was so cute! We saw the hippopotamus (James' favorite) as he ate his breakfast. Then, we watched the elephant get a bath (Jemma's favorite). Best of all, Olivia and Jason were able to come spend the day with us at the zoo. We had such a lovely time walking around, seeing the animals and talking. We departed DC just before 2. James was asleep before we hit VA!

On our way home, we stopped by Williamsburg to visit our friends Brien, Rachel and Lily. I love seeing our kids have fun and they had a blast! We ate dinner with them and visited for almost three hours. Time certainly flies when you are having fun! The kids got dirty from head to toe, so we put all three kids in the tub before leaving... it was dirty, dirty water when they got out. I thought that since it was 8 (bedtime) that they would fall asleep on the way home, but they were still awake when we pulled into the drive!

It was a truly wonderful weekend. Thank you to all our service members!! :)

Question of the Morning...

2009-05-18T07:32:00.002-04:00

Jemma was awake in her bed for at least 15 minutes before coming downstairs and I was immediately greeted with a question: (No "good morning" or hugs...) "Mommy, can you go to the store today and buy me a ring?" My response, "What kind of ring would you want?" Jemma says, "A gold one with a diamond... a really sparkly one." And I replied that we would have to just see how the day goes.... do you think she'll forget this request?

On the Road...

2009-05-04T16:45:00.000-04:00

We decided to visit Granny and Papa last weekend. Jim was in Key West and we had not visited South Boston in a while, so I packed up the car and decided to go!

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The packing/getting ready was an adventure all by itself. I had my hour long session with my personal trainer, then began packing at 10:30. The kids wanted to play outside in the sandbox, so I let them. Everything was going great until I heard James crying and saying, "No, Jemma. I don't want to... I don't WANT to!" I found that Jemma had unreeled the water hose, sprayed the deck, then sprayed James. He looked like a pitiful drowned rat. And although it was warm outside, it was not warm enough to be drenched. So, I took both kids upstairs and put them into the bathtub. They both love the bath, so I thought it would be ideal to let them play while I finished packing. I could hear the laughter and talking, so I was not worried. Then, I peeked in on them. There were bubbles EVERYWHERE! They had taken the entire bottle of soap and dumped it into the tub... then, proceeded to throw bubble covered toys outside of the tub. It took me a while to clean up the bubbles and rinse the kids. However, I had finished packing the clothes for us. (Yes, I pack "back-up" clothes and "just in case" clothes and "what if it gets cold/warm" clothes, etc. so it takes me a while.) Yippie! Now, I just needed to take a quick shower and we could get on the road... so, I turned on the TV and the kids were eating cheese sticks while I went to shower. When I came downstairs, I discovered that Jemma had gotten applesauce for her and James to eat. However, the applesauce was not eaten but played with. James was putting applesauce on the wooden pretend food. "Look mommy, I making a sandwhich!" He was so proud. It was also on the wooden tray, coated the wooden watermelon, in the plastic bowls and spoons (apparently an applesauce tea party), and carpet. As I was cleaning the applesauce, I discovered that the plush rocking horse was coated in applesauce. I was not in a happy mood. We finally made it on the road just before 3:00, only for me to realize that I forgot the pack-n-play. So, we actually started our trip at 3:30. It was a good trip, with only one potty stop. The kids were so happy to see Papa and Granny that it was worth the trip. Next time, I'll pack the night before while they are asleep no matter how tired I am... or I'll hire a sitter for an hour or two! :)

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The kids got to help Papa plant watermelon and cantaloupe! They were so, so excited.

Jemma holding the seeds:

James has seeds, too:
Getting water:
Going to the garden:

It was Jemma's job to put in 3 purple hull pea seeds with Papa's watermelon seeds:Yes, Papa used an old tabacco planter!

James was happy to play in the dirt!

When Jemma lost interest, Aunt Amy stepped in!
Jane and Ryland came down to visit with us Friday night, too. It was a long, but very good day!

Heritage Festival

2009-05-04T15:23:00.000-04:00

The Heritage Festival was held on Saturday at the Fair Grounds in South Boston. It sounded like fun, especially for the kids. After getting Logan, Granny and I took all three kids.

The kids had oh so much fun playing in the corn! I missed getting a picuture of Jemma making a "corn angel" but here is James making a "castle":

Well, Logan watched the other kids play... couldn't convince him to get in!
On the see-saw:

Riding the "train"

Looking at the tractors

James was looking at how the seat was put together... my little engineer!

There were antique cars, farm equipment of all types, lots of tractors, and even an airplane!

The kids had fun milking the cow

I love this one of cousin Logan... he is such a little sweetheart!

There were goats, chickens, chicks, geese (very pretty, but loud and mean!), mini horses, alpacas, and turkeys. Here is Jemma holding the bunny.

Then, they played in the straw:

Before we left, we saw the tractor parade... a huge hit, especially for the boys! Both James and Logan took a wonderful afternoon nap!

Sunday

2009-05-04T15:03:00.005-04:00

After church Sunday morning, I tried to take some pictures of the kids in their cute clothes!

Jemma and James putting on a "show" for us:

This has to be my favorite from the weekend... Logan is thinking, "My two cousins are completely insane!"

Logan and Papa:

This just looks like trouble waiting...

She is destined to be the center of attention:

The boys climbing in the trailer:

Papa showing Logan the eggs in the birdhouse:

Papa showing James the eggs in the birdhouse:

After lunch and after I had packed the car for our return trip, we rode the 4-wheeler. Jemma and James both had an absolute blast on the little blue one. I rode on the back to helped steer, but they would give it the gas. I even called Jim so he could hear Jemma's giggles. She was so happy!

Logan would not ride with me, but he loved sitting on the 4-wheeler all by himself!

My kids romping in the hay:

The trip home was uneventful and we were all glad to be back in our own beds... home sweet home!

Daddy's Off...

2009-04-26T22:25:00.000-04:00

Daddy's off to Key West. I wish I were going, too. I did join him on a det a few months after we were married and it was absolutely wonderful... para sailing, jet skiing, sunset cruise, biking, laying by the pool, eating huge chocolate chip cookies and wonderful Cuban food... such wonderful memories! Ah, Key West...

But, of course, everything happens as soon as he leaves. For example, Jemma was sleeping on her mattress in our room because Logan was sleeping in her room. (Yippie... Aunt Nicole and Uncle Bryan are visiting!!) So, she had been warned NOT to climb in her bed and on the slats. Jim had only been gone about 30 minutes when I heard whimpering from Jemma's room. I knew she was in there playing, so I waited a few minutes to investigate. When I heard more sighing/whimpering, I found her stuck! Thankfully, Bryan was here and rescued her!

Then, while we were enjoying the Native American festival (Which was fun - Jemma is still talking about getting to see a real Princess! And the ambulance worker was so incredibly nice to let us sit inside and cool off for a little while.), a neighbor calls to inform me that our smoke detectors were going off. We have replaced our smoke detectors and they are still going off... what is wrong?!?

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James and Logan lounging on the couch together Saturday morning before we went to the library for bubble mania:

I was so, so glad that Nicole, Bryan and Logan came to visit and that we had such perfect weather!! :) This is just before our trip to the beach Saturday. Logan hated the sand! He just sat in Nicole's lap as Jemma and James played.

Granny and Papa arrived Saturday night just in time to put the kids to bed! So, Nicole and I hit the mall for a little shopping.

Sunday was absolutely beautiful! The boys playing together after breakfast:The kids played outside all morning until they came in for lunch... gotta love days like that! I was so sad to see them leave!

"Time to Wake Up..."

2009-04-22T21:33:00.000-04:00

At 7:08 AM, I hear banging noises coming from James' room. I knew he was awake. I had heard him waking and talking to his stuffed animals, but I just was not quite ready to get myself out of bed. The banging had me up, though. As I opened his door, I hit James' leg. He was out of the crib and smiled at me and said, "It's time to wake up Mommy! It's morning. I want to go downstairs." Yep, it was morning. He was so proud of himself. He ran to Daddy and said, "I got out of bed all myself!"

He had gotten out of bed a couple of times before, but it is now time to remove the railing. Now the fun really begins... like James refusing to take a nap today! He just kept climbing out of bed and saying, "No nap, Mommy. I not tired. I don't WANT to take a nap. I come downstairs."

News...

2009-04-15T16:43:00.002-04:00

We got the news just a little bit ago... we're moving to Lemoore in a year or so. Crap!

Ok, that was my bit of negativity... now time to be positive. We're moving to Lemoore! :) It is a great opportunity. What a wonderful adventure...

More tea party pics...

2009-04-11T16:30:00.002-04:00

A few more pictures that I took from Jemma's tea party at school:

Derek and Jemma:

This is "Red-haired James" behind Jemma. He is also a James the Fourth and his Daddy is Navy, too!

Tea party

2009-04-10T21:18:00.001-04:00

Jemma's Tea Party for school was today. All the kids were dressed in their fine clothes and they were so, so cute!
Mya and Jemma before school:
There was an Easter egg hunt. Every egg had a child's name, so they each had to find just their own 10 eggs... pretty clever!Having "tea" (aka lemonade) with finger foods. Isn't the hat that Jemma's teacher made just adorable?!? Jemma put the hat on me when she was done with it! James was absolutely hilarious. He sat at the table beside Jemma because a little girl was absent, so there was an empty seat. I made him a plate, but he decided that eating everything from his neighbor (who happened to be the little brother of Jemma's classmate) was better. He kept stealing the food from the little boy next to him, and that little boy kept stealing food from his sister. The mom kept refilling the little girl's plate but I don't think she actually ate anything!Back home... a beautiful day! I was trying to get a good picture of my two incredibly cute kids, but they were not cooperating. So, here they are yelling, "We love Daddy!"
Jemma and Mya played all afternoon! :)
Today begins Spring Break!

Bunny time!

2009-04-09T21:09:00.003-04:00

Jemma's teachers painted their faces and made bunny ears today... so incredibly cute!

This much...

2009-04-08T21:13:00.002-04:00

Trina invited us over for an Easter Egg dieing party today. As I was driving, Jemma says, "Mommy, I love you this much." And she opened her arms about 6 inches wide. She then says, "I love Daddy this much." Her arms were open as wide as she could get them. Sometimes it is like a knife through the heart... but, I'm glad that she loves her Daddy so much... I do too!

Lounging

2009-04-05T20:50:00.000-04:00

It was a lazy Sunday morning. I was getting ready for Merin's baby shower and Jemma was snuggling on the couch with Daddy! :)

It was a beautiful day outside and several of our neighbors were cleaning the community space next to our house. For lunch, I made PB&J for the kids with grapes and lemonade. They had a picnic on the driveway and loved it! :)

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-04T15:37:00.001-04:00

We had a community Easter Egg hunt today. It was sunny and a little chilly, and the kids had a blast.

The kids waiting while the eggs are hidden:

Getting ready!

Jemma and Mya:
James seaching for eggs:

James did wonderfully finding the eggs, but was even more happy to find the donut!

James' Birthday

2009-04-01T10:04:00.000-04:00

James turned 2 on March 5 and his party was Sunday, March 8. It was a beautiful day for a party! The sun was shining and it was in the lower 70s. Absolutely perfect for the kids to play outside!! :)

James got a soccer ball from our neighbors Dave and Kara. Now he doesn't have to play with Jemma's pink one...

We had pizza (love Papa John's), veggies with dip and cheese cubes for lunch!

It was so nice to have my Dad here... he took the kids outside when they were done eating while most of us adults talked and had a nice time visiting together!

And then we had cake! James' favorite Sesame Street character is cookie monster, so there was a cookie on the cake with the figurines!I love how relaxed everyone was... After James took a nap, we opened presents. I love this "Birthday Boy" shirt from Granny and Papa!
James got so many wonderful gifts... we truly have generous and thoughtful family and friends!
After the guests were gone, we took a walk to the neighborhood park. We were so happy to have GrandMary and Aunt Dorothy visit with us!
My birthday boy... I can hardly believe he is TWO!

It was a wonderful day for a birthday celebration!

Oh, Boy!

2009-03-31T15:25:00.000-04:00

I think I need to make sure that James plays with some other little boys soon! I was doing laundry and he did a perfect spin while saying, "Mommy, I a ballerina!" Too cute... wish I had the camera rolling...

My wonderful husband...

2009-03-30T19:55:00.003-04:00

My wonderful husband was selected as the CNAF (Commander Naval Air Forces) NFO (Naval Flight Officer) of the year today! I married a truly great guy!! :)

Jemma's first sleepover

2009-03-21T14:36:00.000-04:00

Jemma was invited to spend the night with Mya last night. Mya has spent the night with us several times, but Jemma has never spent the night with one of friends. She took her backpack with Baby and her yellow sun blanket.

The girls posing...

Jemma hugging her brother good-bye:
James singing his ABCs:

Merin said that Mya woke screaming from night terrors in the middle of the night. Jemma and Mya were sharing her bed. Merin heard Mya, went into the room, and Jemma was still asleep. Apparently, she sat up and looked at Merin, then rolled over and went back to sleep! Merin took Mya out of the room and Jemma continued to sleep. She gets her sleeping habits from her Mommy...

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T23:34:00.002-04:00

Jemma was SO excited after school (notice the green St Patty's Day socks). She won musical chairs and won the prize. The prize was a little pink necklace and earrings with purse. James had to put the earrings on...

The kids eating applesauce on the couch:

2009-03-17T13:49:00.004-04:00

James is sick today... therefore, I have done nothing because whenever I try to do something, he says in this pitiful little voice, "Come sit on de couch wid me, Mommy..." How can I resist such sweetness?

Before I run to grab a quick shower, I have to post this because it made me laugh... (taken from here:http://www.reallifedesign.net/2008/12/iblog-buttons.html)
Soon, very soon, I will take the time to download all the pictures from our camera and post what we've been up to!

Too quiet...

2009-03-15T14:28:00.002-04:00

I heard clanging of metal... then there was complete silence... followed by the giggles of a big sister...

James decided to get the butter (clanging of metal) and try to eat it (silence) which Jemma thought was funny (giggles)...

Happy, happy, happy!

2009-03-14T09:29:00.004-04:00

Jim screened for command yesterday! It was very competitive and we are so very happy that he was one of the four WSOs who screened!! Yippie!!!! Can you tell I'm happy?!? Next week starts the process of determining when and where he will get to go next.... Oceana (we so hope!), Lemoore or Japan (wouldn't that be an exciting adventure?)... we'll go wherever the Navy sends us! :)

Lolipop

2009-03-10T10:44:00.001-04:00

Jemma came crying, "James got my lollipop stuck in my hair!"

I put her in the tub and washed her hair... the lollipop was thrown away! Never a dull moment...

Funnies!

2009-03-04T08:56:00.000-05:00

All is well here... busy, busy, busy... and we are all missing Daddy. I just wanted to record/share some true and funny (at least I think so) things from the past few days.... pictures and more to follow later!
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James and I are driving home from dropping Jemma at school. He says, "Mommy, can't hear." Then loudly, "CAN'T HEAR!" A moment of shear panic and the "what if" game begins in my head until I turn around and see that he is sticking his fingers in his ears... ***********************
I'm giving James a shower and Jemma is playing in the bathroom. She is having a conversation with herself, "I am packing to go to Granny's house. I have to pack because my husband does not know how. He doesn't know what the little kids need. I know everything that will keep them happy because I am the Mommy." I wonder if this is good or bad?!?
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This morning, just after Mya arrives to spend the day with us she asks, "Do you want to play Mommy and Honey?"

All Well (sort of...)

2009-02-25T21:38:00.003-05:00

Jemma and James are well! Ok, so James still has a green runny nose. But, he seems to always have a runny nose...
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This was Jemma eating applesauce and watching TV on Friday. She ate applesauce and drank Gatorade all day... nothing else. I took her back to the dr Friday afternoon because every 4 hours when the Tylenol wore off, she would start complaining of her head hurting... that had me worried! Apparently, there was some virus going around that had effects of headache and vomiting.
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I am so incredibly thankful for wonderful friends! I had pinkeye on Friday. I called the dr and begged for the drops to make it go away, but apparently there are rules that you actually have to see a dr to get the drugs! So, Trina came over to watch over the kids while I went to the dr. I had to wait over an hour in the exam room (after waiting only 15 minutes in the waiting room) before he walked in and said, "What's the problem today?" I explained that I had pinkeye and needed drops. To which he picked up his little light, looked in my eye and proclaimed, "Yes you do. I will write you the prescription." He handed me the prescription and I was on my way... there needs to be an express lane at the dr's office!!! I cannot thank Trina enough for agreeing to sit with my kids... especially since they were not feeling well. I am so incredibly lucky to have such special people that I know that I can count on! :)
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Jim left Saturday for Fallon. (He was supposed to leave Friday, but his jet broke. I was so HAPPY for one more night!) I started the second book in the Twilight series Saturday. I finished the fourth book Tuesday night. I just had this need to finish the story... Now, I need to catch up on sleep and cleaning and everything else!
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We stayed inside all weekend. We did have to make one trip to the grocery store... I was not prepared to stay home. We were supposed to be in South Boston for my Uncle Jesse's 70th surprise party. (I was pretty disappointed that we couldn't go, but I just couldn't travel with sick kids!) I made a turkey casserole Sunday afternoon... they both ate and seemed to be mending very nicely! Jemma declared Sunday pajama day, so James and I stayed in our pjs all day... Jemma did put on "dress up" clothes! Jemma returned to school on Monday and James "helped" vacuum:
We had a neighborhood social at Cafe Fresh Monday night. It is a new restaurant that I love. They have a chalkboard play area for the kids and the food is yummy! I had a blueberry pomegranate juice... so, so delicious!! :) Before taking the kids up to bed, I tried to get a picture, but they were too interested in playing to keep still. Notice the chocolate milk on James' sweater...James' appetite was back to normal Tuesday morning! He had asked for pancakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner on Monday, but I didn't have or make any. So, I woke early and made pancakes with bacon on Tuesday. He ate one pancake so quickly that I was sure that he had hidden it or put it on the floor, but I gave him another before going to wake Jemma for school. When we came downstairs, he had eaten his second pancake and was finishing Jemma's pancake off of her plate! Then he asked for another. He ate four pancakes and two pieces of bacon and two glasses of OJ. Yes, he has a big appetite sometimes and I guess he was making up for his lack of appetite over the past few days!

We went to swim lessons Tuesday night. On the way home we stopped by Wendy's. I asked Jemma if she wanted a Jr. bacon cheeseburger or chicken nuggets. She said she wanted both, so I ordered both and assumed that I would eat whatever she didn't. She ate the entire cheeseburger, including the lettuce from James' AND 4 chicken nuggets plus a few fries. I guess Jemma and James both got their appetites back!

Ms. Cindy requested a picture of Jemma in front of our house today... she dressed herself. (Ok, so this was outfit #2... outfit #1 was a sundress and it was too cold for that!)

Quarantine!

2009-02-20T07:20:00.002-05:00

James no longer has pink eye. BUT, I do. James' ear infection is clearing nicely... that is what our wonderful doctor said when I took Jemma in yesterday afternoon. She keeps complaining that her head hurts. She was crying and complaining at school, so I had to pick her up early. (Of course, they called the one time that I didn't carry my phone into storytime at the library... so, they called Jim at work. We both arrived at her school at the same time yesterday!)

On the way home from the dr, Jemma said, "Mommy, I feel like I'm going to puke." I pulled the car over as quickly as possible, but not before the incident began. I got her cleaned up and then home. After a bath, I put in Peter Pan and she snuggled on the couch with her Daddy. Now Jim is off to NV and I'm home with two sick kids... thank goodness for TV!

Still smiling...

2009-02-18T10:22:00.003-05:00

Yesterday morning, as Jemma was brushing her teeth I heard a loud crash in the kitchen. It was not followed by a cry, so I knew that James was getting into something. I wanted to gather the laundry before heading downstairs, so I sent Jemma to investigate. When I came downstairs I discovered that the loud crash was James getting the cereal container off the counter. He and Jemma decided to eat in the living room. I had some vacuuming to do...

James woke from his nap crying with a fever yesterday. He has had a runny nose and cough for the past couple of days... but with the weather and travelling, I was not surprised by that. However, the fever and cough and crying made me worry. So, I took him to the dr. He has an ear infection and pink eye. Yet, last night after dinner, he was my happy boy!

Back home!

2009-02-17T20:16:00.011-05:00

We left VA Beach on Thursday afternoon and drove to Andy & Suzanne's house. It was a very nice drive and the kids did awesome! On Friday, we left their house and ventured to CT. We left around 1, which should have put us at GrandMary's house around 5. Unfortunately, traffic was not cooperating... in fact, we saw the life flight helicopter land near us. Thank goodness for the travel potty and DVD player and snacks! Once we arrived, the cousins were very happy to play and eat. Jemma, James, Elizabeth and Cassandra were all hugs and smiles!

On Saturday morning, Jemma "helped" GrandMary eat breakfast: The service for Nanny was very nice. Jim and the kids before the service began: Uncle Ken with the girls:The kids and I stayed in a little room off to the side and they remained reasonably quiet. I was amazed by one of the cousins, Maura. She sat with her parents for the whole service. Not mine... no way that I would have even dared to have them sit and be quiet. Jemma would have asked questions through the whole service and James would just squirm and not be happy. So, they colored and read books. Poor Elizabeth got sick in the car on the way to the service. Cassandra was so good, especially since her nap was thrown off!

James was so handsome in his coat!
Afterwards, we all went and had lunch. James was ready for food! Jemma chose to eat with Uncle Ken, Aunt Karen and Elizabeth:The cousins playing ring around the rosie. Then they played hide-and-seek under the table!Here are the brothers... handsome!

Saturday was also Cassandra's first birthday. She sipped her first champagne (not really... she liked the sound of the glass on her teeth !) and blew out her candle (with a little help) and opened presents. It was great fun!

James, Jemma, Elizabeth and Cassandra... what a chair full!

On Sunday, we went to church with Grandpa Jim and then had lunch. Cassandra had her first ravioli and loved it!Here are the kids playing in the restaurant.

Then, we went to a baptism celebration for our cousin, Evan Ann. It was so wonderful to have all the cousins together to play! :)

Maura and Jemma together:

A photo opportunity:

James with Aunt Dorothy

I had the chance to hold Evan Ann and she fell asleep... there is nothing like holding a sleeping, peaceful baby. :)

We left the celebration and drove back to PA. On Monday, Jemma and Daddy snuggled in bed until almost 10 AM! She was one wiped out little girl. Here is James hugging Cassandra good-bye.I love this smile!! :)

Remembering Nanny

2009-02-11T15:09:00.009-05:00

I don't have the right words, so here is remembering Nanny. I feel so lucky to have married into her family and been blessed by her smiles and kindness. She was a wonderful woman and an inspiration to everyone.

July 05

Jemma's first birthday November 05:

Ken & Karen's Baby shower Feb 06:

Thayer & Tara's wedding July 06:

Jemma's 2nd birthday November 06:

Block Island May 07:

At GrandMary's house June 07:

August 07 at the cottage in CT for Nanny's 90th Birthday:

Thanksgiving November 07 at GrandMary's house:

Andy & Suzanne's & Cassandra's baptism April 08:

My Rocks!

2009-01-25T20:52:00.000-05:00

One day James may be embarrassed by this little story...

James went potty. When he was finished he grabbed his testicles and proclaimed, "My Rocks!" I was stunned... and not knowing if I heard correctly, I said, "What did you say, James?" He then grabbed himself again and shouted, "My Rocks!" Then went screaming with delight while running down the hall...

I asked Jim if he had taught him anything new, but he didn't have a clue where the rocks comment came from.

Chicken?

2009-01-25T14:20:00.003-05:00

James has a runny green nose today, so we didn't go to church. (I don't want to risk the chance of him giving it to another kid or subjecting the poor nursery worker to wiping his nose 100 times.) It has been a relaxing, inside sort of day. (Except for Jim, who had to go to work.) We have played and read books. After putting James down for a nap, I turned on tv. I found the Miss America pagent being replayed from last night. So, I decided to let Jemma watch. She loved seeing all the beautiful gowns. During the talent portion, Miss Hawaii did a hula dance with a costume that had feathers. Jemma honestly looks at me and says, "Why is she dressed like a chicken?" I cracked up laughing.... http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=265483

Lunch time!

2009-01-21T22:07:00.000-05:00

I didn't take a picture today... I should have. About 11:00, as I was finishing dishes, James took out the new jar of strawberry jam from the pantry and asked, "Whad this?" I told him what it was. Then, I walked into the laundry room and as I was taking laundry out of the washing machine, James came in and said, "Mommy, hungry." I get this at least 20 times a day from my always hungry boy. So, I said "Let Mommy finish with laundry and I'll feed you lunch... what do you want?" He replied, "Butter-butter stawberry jelly sa-which and chocolate milk" which I think is pretty good for a kid who isn't even two yet. So, I stopped doing laundry and went into the kitchen. On the table was a jar of peanut butter and the strawberry jelly, his favorite green plate and a blue cup. All I had to do was get the bread, knife and milk. He had everything else ready. So, I joined him as he happily ate all of his sandwich. The laundry just had to wait...

Not one flake...

2009-01-20T22:21:00.003-05:00

Not one single snowflake fell here today. It snowed south of here... and west of here... but not here. Now it is just cold. I can't complain though... the house is warm and cozy and the kids have been having fun playing indoors... at least I'm not in Chicago!

The kids painted tonight... something fun to pass the time indoors! :)

Snow?!?

2009-01-20T08:40:00.004-05:00

Northerners will laugh... school was cancelled today because of a winter storm that is due to bring us 1-3 inches of SNOW today. Jemma is quite disappointed not to go to school, but she is happy to stay in her pjs and watch Sid the Science Kid on TV. I'll post pics tonight IF we do indeed get some white stuff. :)

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This was Jemma getting ready to go to school last Thursdsay. I just love the black coat... she looks so cute! :) And of course, James is holding tight to his frog and monkey...

Disney

2009-01-19T12:15:00.002-05:00

We are planning to take the kids to Disney this fall, so I ordered their free planning DVD. Jemma was holding the brochure last night and I asked her if she knew what the castle was and she replied, "No, Mommy... what is that?" I told her that it was where the princesses lived and asked if she would like to visit. She replied, "I need to visit them so they will not be lonely!"

I'm so excited to plan this trip. Jim has never been to Disney, Jemma is totatally into Princesses, James loves Mickey and friends, and I just think it is one of the happiest places on Earth! Plus, GrandMary has agreed to make the trip with us. It will be wonderful to have another adult set of eyes and hands for the kids. Plus, she has never been to Disney. What a spectacular week this is going to be!! :)

Update

2009-01-16T08:45:00.017-05:00

This is going to be a long post... I've been neglecting the blog and choosing to spend any "free" time with my husband and kids. It is so, so, so wonderful to have Jim home. Yes, I know and appreciate how incredibly lucky we are that he was able to be with us for the holidays. And, he has had pretty "normal" hours for work lately. We've been able to enjoy dinners together as a family and spend our evenings playing with the kids! As a bonus, I've made it to the gym several evenings alone. He even took the kids for me to visit Gymboree to redeem some Gymbucks last night. I do have an absolutely wonderful husband!! :)

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The day after Christmas, we headed to PA. It was a great trip. Jemma and James were excellent! It was so wonderful to be with family. Jemma and James ran to hug Elizabeth and the boys (Ken, Andy and Jim) unpacked the car and set up the pack-n-play... it is certainly easier to travel with lots of help! :) Here is Cassandra playing with the door. She is such a cutie! And all the kids loved playing with this toy!

Opening gifts was a little crazy, but so much fun! We all got so many wonderful, wonderful gifts... my favorite part was watching the kids open their presents. James was so excited for these simple plastic bracelets:Jemma loved her ballerina jewlrey:

On 12/27, GrandMary and the kids made an orange geletin salad with cool whip. Then, they made Christmas cookies.
Jemma took several dress up outfits to PA. She wore the bride dress almost everyday we were there. I had her pack the outfits and she chose to leave the Tinkerbell and Belle dresses at home because she didn't want to share those. So, we packed her dress up trunk with shoes, wands, gloves and dresses that she did share with Elizabeth and James. :)

On 12/28, Uncle Andy took the girls to the firehouse for a visit. Unfortnately, James was sick and couldn't go. (He caught an icky bug that we think was lingering from the previous week when Elizabeth, Ken, Karen, Andy, Suzanne and Cassandra had all been sick!)

After the firehouse visit and during some downtime, Jim opened Jemma's science kit and the girls watched reactions with household items (baking soda, vinegar, etc). They really enjoyed it and so did us older "kids."

On Monday, 12/29 we headed North to CT. We even convinced Ken and Karen to let Elizabeth join us! :) On the trip up, we stopped at a Children's Museum to visit with Jason and Melissa. The museum had the best water play area that the kids just positively loved! After arriving and having dinner at GrandMary's house, we put the kids in the tub. Here is James "cleaning" the toilet before his bath. He loves using the brush... I wonder if I could encourage that to continue for many years?!? GrandMary read the girls books. (GrandMary was so utterly happy to have the girls both visiting with each in a twin bed in the guest room!) After reading, we left the girls to go to sleep. They should have been tired from the car ride, museum visit and earlier playtime. However, after almost two hours of giggles and several attempts by the adults to encourage them to get to sleep they were both still wide awake! I finally went up and said, "GrandMary is going to bed. I am going to bed and Uncle Jim is going to bed. You must go to sleep." About 15 minutes later I went upstairs to find them both completely and soundly asleep! This was the scene after about 45 minutes and Jim's first attempt to get them to calm down. (They both wanted water... what a great stall tactic... "I'm thirsty...")The next morning I woke with a queasy stomach and Jemma saying, "I puked on the floor." She then puked in the toilet several times. Then it hit me. My wonderful husband played nurse for Jemma and me. GrandMary took James and Elizabeth to visit Nanny and the family. I am so sad that we didn't get to visit, too. Here are Nanny's kids: Dorothy, Mary, Terry and Billy:

James and Elizabeth enjoying brunch:Dorothy and Billy with the cousins:
Dorothy and James:

Upon their arrival back at GrandMary's house, Jim packed the car and kids and we headed back to PA. Thankfully, Jemma's illness was short and didn't seem to impact her very much. She was happy and playful. Unfortunately, it hit me with a vengeance and I felt horrible well into the next day. Thankfully, Jim never got sick.

Grandpa Jim visited on New Years Eve and Day. The kids love to hear him sing and play his guitar. Jemma has even asked several times for "a guitar like Grandpa Jim's" and I've caught her singing the words to "Grandma's Featherbed" a couple of times.

The boys:

We watched the bowl game and the Hokies won!!! Yippie!!!!

Although we were sad to leave PA (1/3), it is wonderful to be back in our own house. :)

After we ate our dinner of McD and unpacked the car, Jemma and James opened presents from Tracy. Tracy gave them each books and they loved them! We got an awesome planter with our name and address engraved! :)

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Jemma horsing around with Daddy (1/7):

I finally made goodies for the trashmen (fudge and chocolate chip cookies):

(1/9): I yell, "James, where are you." He replies, "Office... checking mail-mail, Mommy!"

James helping Daddy cook breakfast by "testing the bacon" on 1/11:

James playing doctor to chef Jemma:

Jemma (1/16) bouncing on her Christmas gift from Mya:
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Potty update: James used the potty every time that Jemma did and kept a dry diaper the entire trip to PA. He even laughed and happily used the potty while we were in PA. I thought that we were on our way to potty training. BUT, once we were home he has now refused to go on the potty. He runs away saying, "No, don't want to." Sometimes he just says, "Potty too cold." I'm not pushing because he isn't even two yet, but I had a few days of hope for early potty training.

Reading

2009-01-12T12:49:00.000-05:00

I just finished "The Gulf Between Us" by Cynthia B. Acree. Jim bought it for me.

I love to read, but have done little novel reading over the past few years because I get totally into books and every ounce of me just wants to sit and read until the book is finished, which results in kids/housework/life/sleep being neglected. I still read, but I've limited myself to internet articles and magazines and short, fluffy novels and kid-related books.

This book was relatively short, only 311 pages. But it is real. It is the memoir of a captured Marine pilot and his wife during desert storm. I cried. I cringed. My heart ached. I knew the outcome, yet I had to read the story. And it was an awesome story. I'm amazed by the the strength of the couple. I pray to never be in that situation.

This is a book that I would recommend for everyone to read. Ok, not for wives whose husbands are currently deployed... wait for their safe return first.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T21:49:00.006-05:00

Jemma and James are in bed sleeping soundly after a wonderful Christmas Eve and Day. The kids on Christmas morning:

We drove to South Boston yesterday afternoon. We had a wonderful Christmas Eve with family, great food and presents. Jemma even said the blessing before dinner. It was so sweet! :)

We had to wake Jemma this morning to show her what Santa had brought. She loved her handbell set and Tinkerbell pjs! :) James was still sleeping at 8 when we were cooking and family was arriving. So, he didn't even get to see what Santa brought until we unpacked it at our house tonight. We had a light crowd this morning... there were only 48 of us to visit with, eat breakfast and exchange gifts. It seemed so calm and quiet relative to previous Christmas mornings. However, it was still really, really wonderful to see almost all of the family together. I was too busy enjoying and didn't take many pictures... next year I'll have to do better!

On our way home today, Jim gave Jemma a Gerber meat stick as a snack. She said, "Daddy, this looks like a vagina." She was completely serious... how do you reply to that?!? I was driving and quietly laughed as Daddy had to deal with that comment. You just never know what is going to pop out of the mouth of a four year old!

When we arrived home, the kids got to see what Santa brought. Jemma looked at her presents and said, "A Belle dress just liked I asked for!" If I could only capture that innocent little expression and utter joy...Then, she saw the Tinkerbell dress, which she had to put on. Then, it was the bride dress.She was a bride until bathtime. James loved the little lantern which makes outside noises and the dinosaurs. I don't think he even noticed the luggage set... one day he'll like it!

Here was our tree with all the presents before we packed for South Boston.

This wreath is real and smells absolutely divine! It is a gift from Aunt Dorothy, which I truly love!! :) It signifies that the Christmas season is really approaching and it is always our first decoration. The picture does not show how beautiful it truly is!

The two trees were a bargain at Target and I think they look really nice on our front porch. I love the Christmas season!

We are heading North tomorrow for more holiday cheer. We hope you are having a very Merry Christmas, too! :)

Four...

2008-12-18T14:53:00.011-05:00

My baby girl is four... how can that be?!? Has it really been four years since she entered this world?!? Time seems to pass so quickly.

She had a GREAT fourth birthday. The celebration lasted for more than a week! She is such a popular little girl... she was actually invited to three other birthday parties on her actual birth day. So, for lunch I asked where she wanted to go. I gave her absolute control... chuck-e-cheese, red robin, chick-fil-a... and she chose Mundens. Mundens is a small restaurant in downtown Pungo. Not what I was expecting. However, it is a special place that she and her Daddy visit together for lunch on most Saturdays. So, we went to Mundens.

After Mundens, Jemma and her Daddy went to birthday party #1 and James went for a nap. I had to get ready for a spouses' meeting/dinner at our house that evening. (I had 20 wives... I served salad, spinach-lentil soup, pork roast with baby carrots, and chickpea-spinach casserole for dinner with chocolate fondue for dessert... what a fun evening for me!) When party #1 was done, Jim came home to get James and they headed out to party #2. (They had to skip the third party because the second and third party were scheduled for almost the same time.)

This was Jemma's first 4th birthday present. It arrived the day before her birthday. It is a beautiful hand-made quilt from Aunt Dorothy, and it is perfectly Jemma... fairies with pink and purple!

We gave her a baby doll hair chair, which matched the crib she already has. And she helped Daddy put it together! :)

Sunday evening we took Jemma and James to Chuck-e-Cheese. Jemma had requested that her party be there, but I just don't enjoy parties at CEC. I find it difficult to converse with the fellow parents and the kids just want to play individual games. So, I promised Jemma that we would take just her for a family celebration. Both she and her brother had a blast! :)

Monday night reading with Daddy before bed. It is so, so, so nice to have Jim home!!!! :)

On Wednesday, GrandMary arrived for a visit. It was an absolutely wonderful visit! The kids helped Grandmary make pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving was Thursday. I bought a 19 pound turkey... I sure do love leftovers! :) GrandMary makes the best stuffing... yummy!!! :)

We went to Hunt Club Farm's Winter Wonderland on Friday evening. It is a wonderful place to take the kids. There is an indoor section full of stuffed/animated animals and winter scenes... very cute! And there are lights all around the animal petting outdoor section (yes, Jemma caught a chicken and James petted it), including a tractor outlined in lights. Then, there are several fire pits where you can roast marshmallows. (Yes, you have to buy the marshmallows... and they sell graham crackers and chocolate and hot chocolate... it can really add up quickly!) Plus, Santa is there! :)

On Saturday, we had Jemma's birthday party at MyGym. I cringe when I think about spending the money for the party, but I must admit that it is worth it! The staff keeps the kids busy and HAPPY. There is no cleanup for the parents and we got to relax and chat while the kids played. Jemma was very excited to open her gifts. One of her favorites was the dress-up outfit from Aunt Nicole. She immediately put it on!

She is such a lucky little girl. There were so many wonderful toys and clothes from family and friends. But the best part was definitely having Daddy home!!! :)

Germs!

2008-12-10T09:37:00.003-05:00

James started with an icky, green runny nose on Saturday. Jemma started with an awful cough over a week ago. Yesterday I felt as though someone had a hammer and was trying to bang on my sinuses from the inside and I could not sleep the night before. And to top it off, there was so much "stuff" going down the back of my throat that I felt nauseous all day. But, the kids were super! James and I snuggled on the couch most of the morning. He would say, "Nuggle, Mommy... nuggle" and crawl under the blanket with me... makes my heart just melt! Then, he would bring me a book saying, "Thank you, Mommy." We would read and then "nuggle" some more. What a great way to spend a down morning!

Thank goodness Jim came home early from work! He put the kids in the stroller and took them for a jog. It has been so cold here and we haven't been able to get out much lately. Yesterday was almost 60... and I wanted to get the kids outside, but just couldn't do it myself.

After dinner and doing Jemma's homework, I turned on Mickey's Christmas DVD and the kids sat and watched the entire movie. I was on the couch and without any prompting, Jemma got a blanket from the basket and put it over me, gave me a kiss and said, "Mommy, are you feeling better?" I just love these sweet wonderful moments. She truly is a loving, sweet little girl!

Marbles?

2008-12-08T16:12:00.001-05:00

Jemma says, "Mommy, can you please bring your marbles downstairs?"

I reply, "I don't have any marbles to give you honey."

Jemma says, "Daddy didn't lie. You really did lose your marbles?!?"

I just had to laugh...

It's a wonderful life...

2008-12-01T14:03:00.004-05:00

Yes, my husband is home!! :) I've been on cloud nine these past 12 days... it is so absolutely wonderful to have my partner and best friend safely back with our family.

James is napping and Jemma is playing in the kitchen and I'll blog more later, but I just wanted to do a quick post with these pictures... can you see how happy the kids are?!?

Love antibiotics!

2008-11-15T14:05:00.002-05:00

Thank goodness for modern medicine and antibiotics! Friday night was my first uninterrupted, full night sleep since Monday! James has been up between 1 and 3:30 am crying and coughing and generally unhappy. But, there was no fever, no runny nose, no change in appetite. Generally during the day, he was his happy normal self. Except on Wednesday there was no nap and Thursday there was no nap... he would wake himself with coughing. I called the pediatrician on Thursday and she said to try benadryl for a day. It did NOTHING, so I took him in on Friday. Dr. Springer said she could see thick yellow stuff going down the back of his throat, so she suspected a sinus infection. After only one dose of amoxicillin, he slept all night! Yippie!!! :)

I'll try to update more tonight... Tracy arrived Thursday night and is playing outside with Jemma... I need to get some work done around the house in preparation for my husband coming home!!!! YIPPIEEE.... I feel like a giddy little school girl!!!!! :)

Scout update

2008-11-13T13:39:00.003-05:00

Scout is having her surgery tomorrow. She is so much stronger. She has had so much improvement just in the past month. And Merin said that she had only one or two seizures in the last week! Here she is on 11/8 with her new brace. The brace helps with body and head control. She was over 15 pounds, but lost some a little weight... she caught a little cold, plus Merin has been making her work on sitting and standing and crawling! I really hope the surgery goes smoothly and she will be able to make even more progress soon. I know that they appreciate the extra prayers and support!

Happy, happy, happy...

2008-11-12T23:46:00.005-05:00

My wonderful husband flew his last flight over Afganistan today. He will be home next week!!! Yippie, yippie, yippie...

Daddy in the jet:

Getting gas:

Getting gas at night:

Final flight at sunset:

The price...

2008-11-09T02:34:00.000-05:00

...I pay for blogging while my daughter is doing play dough in the kitchen: a play dough sprinkle party all over the kitchen floor. She and I spent about 15 minutes cleaning together. And there are still "sprinkles" everywhere! Time to pull out the vacuum!!

Pictures...

2008-11-08T14:23:00.005-05:00

I'm finally able to sit and post a few pictures from the week! (James is napping and Jemma is playing Playdough in the kitchen.)

Here is Jemma on Tuesday morning, with the Abby costume on again. She wore it to Trina's house while I went to vote. I did make her take it off and put on real clothes for the Bounce House!

James with playdough:

At the Bounce House. Of course, James loves the tallest slide the most:

Jemma and Mya pretending to put on a play at the Bounce House:

The smaller slide and obstacle course:****************

James (know to us as "Red-Haired James") came home with us from school to play on Wednesday. The kids used watercolor crayons:

Then, James asked for pudding. They both agreed on chocolate:

Jemma before school on Thursday:

Jemma before school Friday:

Phrases...

2008-11-07T23:47:00.000-05:00

There are several phrases that I've heard come out of my mouth that I never thought I'd utter... for example, tonight the kids were playing and giggling in the bath. I was folding laundry in the hallway where I could supervise, but I was slightly distracted. When I finally realized what all the giggling was about, I had to say, "Jemma, stop playing with your brother's penis." Geeezzz...

Our pediatrician...

2008-11-06T23:59:00.001-05:00

Our pediatrician is wonderful!!! James has clear ears, lungs and throat. So, she suspects that his molars are bothering him. Thank goodness there is no infection. And, while we were there, she gave Jemma her flu shot. We had an appt for the 19th, but I hated to drive all the way there again just for the shot. She was very understanding and the nurse had it all over in about 5 seconds. As is the luck with kids, James decided to fall off the chair and onto his head on the hard floor so he was crying when the nurse came in to do Jemma's shot. And Jemma cried... oh, my drama queen... so I can only imagine what people thought as I ushered two crying kids out of the lobby and into the car. As I was driving out of the parking lot, Jemma said that chicken nuggets would make her feel better. The healing power of chicken nuggets....

Jemma told me before the bath that her arm hurt and I could not take of the band-aid. But she told me this just as I ripped it off her arm! And she was fine after a few seconds of whining.

The Hokies won... yippie!!!! :)

Jemma's artwork

2008-11-06T08:33:00.000-05:00

Jemma is getting so much better with her artwork! This is a family of suns... then she practiced writing the number 3:

Tired...

2008-11-05T20:26:00.002-05:00

Something is not quite right with James. He has not slept well for the past two nights. In fact, both nights have been rather sleepless for us. I think that we may just visit the dr tomorrow to rule out an ear infection...

Last night, after an hour of crying and asking for Jemma, I finally took him into Jemma's room to show him that she was sleeping. He calmed down much more after I proved that she was just down the hall and in bed asleep. I am so glad that she is a sound sleeper!
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I took the kids (Jemma, Mya and James) to the bounce house yesterday afternoon and I have some cute pictures to post... but not tonight... tonight, I'm going to bed.

Vote!

2008-11-04T14:26:00.002-05:00

I spent an hour in line to vote today. My only regret is not taking a book or magazine to read to pass the time. Luckily, it was at an elementary school so there was cute kids' artwork to look at while waiting. And, if my last name had begun with H-O, then there would have been NO wait. There was NOONE in that line! How strange...

Thank goodness for Trina! She watched both kids for me to vote. They had such a great time at her house. Then, I brought Derek home with us so she could go vote. I stopped by the drive through and got lunch and Trina was done voting before I got the kids unloaded! How odd that two polling locations have such different lines.

Now James is napping and Jemma is playing with Mya in the kitchen...

No school day

2008-11-03T22:16:00.000-05:00

Today was parent teacher conferences at school; therefore, there was no school for the kids. Trina had the 8:30 conference. I had the 8:50 conference. Derek got into the minivan with us at 8:25 and I turned on Little Einsteins while Trina had her conference, then she sat with the kids while I had my turn. Then, we all headed to the zoo. We rode the new train and the kids loved it. Afterwards, we had lunch in the little zoo cafe. Jemma shocked me by eating her slice of pizza and a hotdog. (Derek got a hotdog, so Jemma wanted a hotdog. But she also said that she wanted pizza. So, I got both planning to eat whatever she did not eat. Who knew that she would actually eat both?!?) The kids had fun seeing the animals and running around and then we headed home.

Here are two more pictures from the Zoo Boo yesterday:

Zoo Boo!

2008-11-02T23:31:00.003-05:00

Sunday at the Zoo was Zoo Boo! We arrived about 1 mile away from the Zoo at 10:30... it was just after 11 when we parked. I should have heeded the wise advice of Carol. She and her playgroup arrived at 9:30, parked at the Zoo and went to the playground next door until the zoo opened at 10.

However, my kids requested French toast for breakfast. So, I made a yummy breakfast of French Toast. James with a mouth full of french toast:Then, we made a stop by Target because Carol told me that Halloween costumes were 50% off and they had Abby Cadaby left. (Jemma had begged for Abby before Halloween, but I refused to pay $30 for the costume!) So, I successfully purchased the Abby costume (the last one in size 4-6x) and a cute tiara for $1. And, I noticed that I had forgotten James' shoes.

So, by the time I had made breakfast, cleaned the kitchen, visited Target, and returned home for James' shoes, it was already 9:50 by the time I headed to the Zoo. Therefore, we got to sit in a long line waiting to park. BUT, it was worth it! Jemma and James trick-or-treated around the zoo getting and eating candy. Here are some pictures from our day.

Cool pumpkins decorated the zoo:

Jemma with the fairies:

Playing on the turtle:

I did refuse to wait in line for a train ride, but I promised the kids that we would return tomorrow.

Jemma with her new Abby costume... it was the first thing she wanted to do as soon as we arrived home!
Dancing to the Wiggles after dinner:

It was 6:15 and the kids were getting tired. Here James has grabbed the horse's tag and started sucking his thumb. Both kids were in bed asleep by 7:30... the time change is hard on kids!

Yippie!!!

2008-11-01T23:50:00.006-04:00

It is November!!! That means that my husband will be home soon!!! YIPPPIIEEEE!!!! Here is my wonderful husband flying:

I think that this an awesome picture with the carrier below!
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And this him running a 10K on the flight deck in honor of his fallen classmates: ******************************

I miss my husband. I know that this is why he trains so hard, and I appreciate his dedication to our country and his willingness to serve, but I miss him oh so very, very much!! I can hardly wait to have him back home!!! :)

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It was a beautiful, beautiful day today. We went for a walk, then went to the park. James was putting pieces of mulch in the holes in his shoes:Jemma collected sticks:

James took a nice nap while I mowed. I asked Jemma if she would get me a glass of water. Not only did she bring me water, but she made me a snack! She put dried apricots and craisins in a bowl! It was so incredibly sweet!! Trina and Derek came over to play for a little while. I'm so grateful to Trina. She arrived as I was just finishing the mowing which was just as James was waking. So, she went to get him out of bed while I put the mower away. Then, she volunteered to watch the kids while I took a quick shower. It was so nice!!! I love good friends. :)

The kids playing in the grass with the pumpkins:Jemma made a pumpkin snowman:

And James knocked it over:

After dinner, we watched The Little Mermaid. Trina had brought 2 cupcakes for the kids. I thought that I had put them far enough back on the counter that James could not reach them, but I was wrong. He got his off the counter and brought it to me on the couch. He ate the cupcake in less than 2 minutes and asked for another. We had just eaten dinner... he ate very well... six strawberries, an entire chicken breast, some rice and blackeyed peas with a glass of milk! I don't know where he puts all that food...

Jemma liked the movie. She did ask me to turn it off a couple of times when the witch was on, but I told her that she had to keep watching to get to the end. I asked her what her favorite part was and she said, "When Ariel saves the prince."

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T23:56:00.008-04:00

What a day!

James woke and I brought him to my bed for some snuggle time. Then, Jemma joined us. We were having a little tickle, snuggle, laugh fest until I realized that it was getting late... so we went down for breakfast. I made Jemma's lunch and we were singing/chatting and having a good time. Then, I realized it was 8:30 and none of us were dressed... Yikes!!! We need to leave by 8:45 for school, so I rushed upstairs with the kids. Jemma was dressed, James was dressed, and both kids were in the car at 8:45. Mya was not yet on her way outside, so I ran back in the house to put in my contacts and find sneakers (it was too cold for my flip flops). At 8:55, we began to pull out of the driveway and Mya said that she needed her zebra for show and share. We are late anyway, so I backed up and went into her house for the zebra. We arrived at school at 9:16. I had to take the girls into school in my sweats...

Then, as I am talking to Trina on the phone, she asks if I'm on my way to MyGym. I had forgotten all about MyGym!!! We do that every Friday, so how could I just forget?!? We were too late and I was still in my sweats (which are my pjs when Jim isn't home...), so I just decided to go home and shower. When I looked at the MyGym schedule, I realized that there is a class at 10:30 for kids 23 months and over. James is almost 20 months, so I decided that we should check it out. We went and he loved that class. There was a little more "independent" play and they did the red light/green light game, which I love for his age... what a fun morning it turned out to be! :)

After dropping off an item with Melisa, James wanted "chicken" and "choco milk," so we went to Wendy's for lunch. Then, we picked up Jemma and Derek from school. James fell asleep in the car! :( Not good news for naptime, since he woke when we arrived at Derek's house. We stayed to play with Derek and visit with Trina. It was so nice outside that the kids played when we got home. Here Jemma is hitting an empty bubble jar with the bat. (She has balls, but she wanted to hit this and she did REALLY well pitching it in the air and hitting it!)

James mowing:

I tried to put James down for a nap, but it didn't work. So, we went for a walk to the park.

I had hoped that James could wear his Bob the Builder outfit for Halloween, but it was just a little too chilly. So, he was Cookie Monster. Jemma is a Ballerina Fairy. The kids with our neighbors, Gabriella and Lauren. They are all ready for trick-or-treating!

James eating his first "pee-pop" of the night. He can't say lollipop, so he says "pee-pop." ("Juice box" is "bee-box")

The Wizard of Oz family: Merin (witch), Kelly (scarecrow), Mya (Dorothy), Scout (lion) and Kona (Tin Man)

Scout was so cute!

Jemma went trick-or-treating with Mya. They were gone for over an hour and went to almost every house in our neighborhood!

James went with me to six houses. He would go to the door and say "Treat" and "Thank you" then turn to me and ask "pee-pop?" Since he got a lollipop at the first house, he thought everyone should have a lollipop. At the last house, he got M&M's. When I opened the bag, he was very excited to see chocolate. As I answered the door and handed out candy, he sat in the office and watched the movie clips from SesameStreet.org. His favorite is Elmo, Abby and Grover singing with Destiny's Child. He wants that one again and again! He ate a mini-bag of M&M's and three lollipops... then ran laps around the couch!

We went across the street and asked Kelly to take a picture of me and the kids... I never have any pictures with me in them!

Merin carved this beautiful web on the pumpkin and the deer took a bite... right on their front steps!

Then, Jemma asked for a cheese stick and water. Thank goodness she didn't ask for candy! And James wanted the cheese-it crackers.

We went over to Dave & Kara's briefly. It was Dave's birthday, so they were having people over to celebrate. We stayed only long enough for the kids to have a few chips and for James to walk around seeking their cat. Then, it was bedtime. Both kids crashed! James woke about 11 and I had to rock him back to sleep... either a tummy ache or bad dream... Happy Halloween!!! :)

The week...

2008-10-30T21:35:00.004-04:00

This week has flown!

We had Carol with James & Ally, and Trina with Derek as dinner guests on Monday. I made a ceasar salad and potato soup. Trina stopped to get fresh bread from the Italian bakery, and bought baked ziti for the kids. James was thrilled with the noodles, bread and bacon (in the potato soup). Jemma was most excited about the cheese from the salad and croutons... but she barely ate any of the soup! We had fun with our friends... I love having the company and our kids get along so well.

Tuesday just before Noon, James said "Sleepy... bed." This shocked me. He doesn't usually nap until 2... but, I put him in bed. He took a two hour nap! This was wonderful because I dropped him off at the CDC on base at 2:30 while I took Jemma to her last tennis lesson. Then, she and I stopped by the Comissary for a few items. It was nice to spend time with just her! :) James still doesn't like the CDC... he was crying when I picked him up. They said that it was not a constant cry... thank goodness.

Wednesday was picture day for Jemma. I decided to get her picture taken in her uniform. She wanted to wear a "pretty" dress (her summer dress without sleeves), but it was COLD and I wanted her dressed warmly. After school, Jemma was being my big helper by cleaning the lint fliter: (Notice the 3T clothes, which are too short in the pant length and sleeve length... did I honestly hope to get two seasons out of her clothes?!?)

The kids drawing:

James had his flu shot Thursday morning at 9:30. He was so good... no crying. After the shot, he looked at the nurse like she was a horrible person, but there were no tears. Unfortantely, even though I called several weeks ago, I can't get Jemma in until Nov. 19 because I want her to go after school. James and I went to Onesie Rhyme Time at the library. It was our 7th week of the 10 week session. He loves the Rhyme Time. It is only 30 minutes, but he giggles and sings and really enjoys it. I hope they have another session soon! :) Melisa and Colton came over for dinner. It was so nice to share dinner with them. :)

This is James on top of the kitchen table. He wanted to investigate the salt and pepper shakers:

Tomorrow is Halloween...

Weekend

2008-10-27T10:46:00.005-04:00

The weekend was fun! On Saturday, we had pajama day at home. We stayed in our pajamas until after lunch! The kids watched TV and played while I vaccummed, did laundry and cleaned. (I did snuggle on the couch with them for a little while, too!) :)

When James woke from his nap, I had the VT football game on. He wanted a snack, so I gave him crackers... he was content to lounge on the couch and eat while watching the game! I went to an OSC (Officer Spouse Club) Meeting and left the kids with a sitter. My parents arrived before I returned from the meeting. Jemma was thrilled because Granny gave her a snack and let her stay up late playing!

Sunday morning I made pancakes and bacon for breakfast. When I was finished cooking breakfast, I started the chili for our Fall Festival. I was afraid that we were not going to have many entries for our chili tasting contest because there were not very many RSVPs. Here is my "recipe" for chili...

- About 2 lbs ground beef (browned and drained)

Put in the crockpot.

Sautee 1/2 chopped onion in olive oil with:

- Two green peppers (one from my pot on the back deck and one from my parents)

- Two small green peppers that I thought were jalepneos (but when I cut them, they weren't hot at all!)

Put in crockpot with:

- 2 jars of my Mom's canned tomatoes

- 1 can tomato paste

- 2 cans organic red kidney beans

- 2 cans organic pinto beans

- Chili powder (I started with 2 Tbsp, but it was not enough... so I dumped more in... have no idea how much.)

- 4 bay leaves

Then, I realized that I forgot to add garlic to the sautee earlier, so I added some garlic salt.

Turn crockpot on low and let simmer!

Then, we went to church. James does NOT like the nursery at Tabernacle. But, Jemma really likes it! :)

Our neighborhood Fall Festival began at 3. We had such a perfect afternoon! I was so, so glad that my parents were here to take care of the kids. I was able to help set up and help make sure that everyone was enjoying the games and contests. The beer guessing contest was a huge hit!

Here is Jemma doing the Mummy wrap contest. (She is the ballerina fairy.)

James napped until after 4. My mom stayed home so he could nap! It was nice enough that he was able to wear his Bob the Builder costume. We had 7 entries for the chili contest. My chili won 1st place!! Yippie!!!! After the festival, my parents had to head home. And the kids were tired from all the activity, so they went to bed just before 8! :)

James "playing" the shaky eggs in his Bob the Builder costume:

Granny and Papa watching the kids make music and be silly:Jemma saying good-bye to Papa:

MyGym Party

2008-10-25T23:30:00.002-04:00

James napped late Friday afternoon. I actually had to wake him a few minutes before 4 to get ready and go to the MyGym Halloween party. The kids had a blast!

Here is Jemma and James doing the "splat mat" (the kid ran up to the mat, splatted, then did a forward roll). Jemma is a bit of a blurr...

Jemma loved swinging from the rings... And so did Derek!Jemma on the rope swing:
James climbed to slide down over and over again. The height made me nervous, but didn't bother him at all!
James on the trampoline with our neighbor, Maddie:

Jemma on the balance beam:
Bubbles!
Sarah and Addison were there... isn't she cute?!?

Update with Pics

2008-10-24T23:25:00.003-04:00

We are alive and well. In fact, James' runny nose is almost completely gone... yippie!!! We have been super busy, which is good but exhausting. Here is a brief catchup from the past few days!

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Thursday (10/16)

What a beautiful day to play outside!

At the park today, Jemma was trying to do everything that the six year old little girl was doing. She wanted to go across those bars by herself so badly, but she couldn't quite reach! Jemma in her "new" dress-up skirt:

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Friday (10/17)

It is 7:01 AM and Jemma is already dressed-up with the "new" horse costume!

Today was Yellow Day for Jemma's class. So, this is the outfit she choose to wear. I packed her lemon pudding, lemonade, pears and string cheese.

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Saturday (10/18)

We were supposed to have our neighborhood Fall Festival today. We've been planning this for over a month. It is raining and windy and cold. The Festival is postponed until next Sunday because the winds are forecasted to be 25-35 mph tomorrow and the bouncy house people will not set up in high winds!

This is James at 8:11 AM... in the doll swing! On my toes all day...

We went to a birthday party for one of Jemma's classmates, Abby. When I told the kids we were going, James kept naming all the Sesame Street characters. Once we were at the party, he was upset because Abby was a little girl and not the Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street! Both kids had a blast. It was at Ocean Tumblers, which is a gym. First the kids played with the parachute, which I had to pull James off of and take him out of the area... he would not get off the center of the parachute to give the other kids a turn. Then, they went into an inflatable whale through the mouth, through a mini-obstacle course, up a mesh ladder and down a slide, which was the tail. James was too little to navigate the ladder, but he loved going in and out of the mouth and through the obstacle course! Then, the kids went onto the trampolines. James had to wait with me and just play on the other equipment. When the kids from the birthday party moved onto the next activity, I went with him on the trampoline. I was sweating because I bounced with him to keep him happy and occupied! I couldn't leave him alone because the springs were not covered and I was afraid that he would fall through. It was such a nice diversion for such a yucky weather day! :)

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Sunday (10/19)

We went to church this morning. I had planned to go down to the big church by the boardwalk, but we were running very late so I decided to head to Sandbridge instead. On our way there, we passed Tabernacle. Jemma said, "Mommy, I want to go there." So, I turned around and that is where we went. This is a small church that Jim and I enjoyed attending the couple of times that we went together. Jemma loved it... in fact, she stayed for "children's choir practice" and was begging to do it again. I'm torn now because the big church by the boardwalk is really nice and has such a great room for James... he is excited to be left in the nursery. On our first visit, the nursery worker said, "He just pooped... let me change him before I give him back to you." That is enough to get me back to church! However, he cried and was very unhappy with the small nursery at Tabernacle. I like both churches... both pastors are very warm and have good sermons... both have very warm and inviting congregations... we'll just have to give it a few more tries! After church, we went to give a letter to Koko for Daddy. Koko is leaving to join the squadron because one of their officers is unable to fly for medical reasons, so they need another qualified pilot. Koko volunteered take letters to our spouses. This was wonderful because I have yet to mail my wonderful husband who is defending our freedom and putting his life on the line daily a care package. I have had one sitting on the kitchen floor for four weeks... I just have not taken it to the post office. I don't know why.... I have no good excuse...

On the way home, I stopped at the Golden Arches for lunch for the kids. James was so excited and kept chanting "French Fries" the entire time that we were in the drive through. To end the day, Merin and I ordered Chinese. Jemma and Mya were playing and James was napping late, so while Merin went to pick up the food, I got to keep Scout. She was so good the entire time that Merin was gone. (Of course, I did hold and snuggle with her almost the entire time that she was away.) However, the moment that Merin opened the front door, she started to cry! I think the little girl has a mommy proximity sensor!

I just didn't have the energy to cook and clean... and it was really nice to have the company! I'm so lucky to have neighbors who are friends!!! :)
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Tuesday (10/21)

I took James to the childcare center on base for a few hours. I finally picked up the Corolla from having the state inspection done on base. (Jim dropped it off a week before he left and I just had not gone to get it!) Merin and I went out to lunch, which was really nice. We went to a local Italian restaurant and we were one of two tables. So, it was quiet and the service was excellent!

The childcare provider asked me if I knew that James knew his shapes... circle, square, triangle, oval and rectangle... who do you think taught him?!? Of course I knew! She was amazed that he was not older... I guess that he appears older because of his size. He can also count to twenty with a little assistance... he usually will skip a couple, but I have heard him in his crib counting all by himself. And if you say one, he says two, then you say three and he says four... up to 20... it is so incredibly cute!

Keebler FudgeStripe cookies are a weakness of mine. I resist the temptation by not purchasing these evil little cookies. However, Jemma saw them in the store and asked for them and in a moment of weakness, I purchased them. They were on the counter. I went to the bathroom and when I returned, James had taken them off the counter (did I mention that he is tall and can reach lots of things?!?) and both kids were feasting.
I love yellow mums and we usually have two on our front porch for the fall. However, these deep purple ones were so pretty at Atlantic Garden Center that I had to have them!

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Thursday (10/23)

Jemma got a good note from her teacher! "I just want you to know - Jemma has been doing a great job!" I love this note! :)

After helping to decorate the classroom for Jemma's party tomorrow, I made this dinner, which I thought was a yummy and rather attractive dinner. My husband would have loved it... meatloaf sandwich with mozzarella cheese, mashed potatoes and asparagus! Jemma had three helpings of mashed potatoes with her and half of my asparagus. James ate the sandwich with his and half of my asparagus.

We had Catherine, a potential new babysitter, come to meet the kids and chat with us for a while. She seems very sweet and I'm looking forward to having her watch the kids while I attend a meeting on Saturday!

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Friday (10/24) - BUSY day!!!

I dropped the girls at school, took James to MyGym, then came home to change for Jemma's Halloween Parade and Party at school. Thankfully, Sarah - a wonderful friend- volunteered to watch James for me to attend the parade/party! What a generous and wonderful friend...

Jemma, a ballerina fairy, in the parade at school:

I made 14 pumpkin shaped and 28 bat shaped little ham and cheese sandwiches plus some extra cheese slices, which took over an hour. But the parents noted and appreciated the effort and all the sandwiches were eaten! :)

During the school day, Jemma and Derek decided to act like brother and sister and not listen to the teacher (trouble). Together, they had to sit while their classmates picked out their pumpkins as punishment. So, after the party, Jemma had to pick out her pumpkin from the remaining ones:

Thank you, Aunt Nicole!

2008-10-24T23:23:00.000-04:00

Aunt Nicole sent this cute little dress... Jemma had to put it on within moments of opening the box! And of course, it went with Mommy's shoes...

Siblings

2008-10-22T23:45:00.001-04:00

A quick story before I head to bed:

Jemma went to use the potty this afternoon. I was making them a snack in the kitchen. James went running happily into the bathroom after her. Jemma thought it would be funny to lock the bathroom door then shut it and come giggling into the kitchen, "I locked James in the bathroom!" Ha, ha, ha funny to her... not so funny to me...

Do you know that I can grab the little pick from the garage then rip the door knob safety cover handle off the door and pick the lock in about 10 seconds, while concocting all sorts of bad images about James in the bathroom alone...

... and I discover James standing over the toilet peeking in at Jemma's new cup for school with Jemma's poop and toilet paper. Yick, yuck, yick...

Jemma got a stern lecture about flushing the toilet, washing her hands, and NEVER locking her brother in the bathroom again!
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After going to the Oreck store to buy new vaccumm bags this morning, then venturing to the Comissary, and taking Jemma to tennis lessons where I have to run all over the adjacent court to amuse/occupy James for 45 minutes, I needed the pilates class tonight! After pilates, Kara (our neighbor) stopped in childcare to see the kids. As soon as James saw her, he said, "Dave?" and shrugged his little arms. It was so cute! He loves her husband and is always asking for him. So, we went over for a brief visit when we returned home and both kids had a blast playing with their cat, Nike. However, I'm not so certain that Nike enjoyed the visit.

Thankfully, both kids were wiped out. We skipped bathtime and they were asleep by 8:15! Yippie!!

Weekends are the hardest...

2008-10-18T22:02:00.004-04:00

For me, weekends are the hardest part of having Jim away from home. He has been away for six weeks now. We've never been apart for this long. We've been so incredibly lucky since we met... I truly consider it a blessing. And, yes, the kids and I have fun and we do stay busy. BUT, I miss my husband so much right now. I wish for him home to curl up on the couch and watch the Hokies play with me. I love the little looks he gives me when I get so excited when our Hokies cause a fumble then run it back for a touch down. I love how he gently reminds me that it is "just a game" when I get so upset because BC has scored yet again. I love just having him here... now, I'm going to go back to watch the game...

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Jim has had the opportunity to drive the ship... here is a picture that he took from the bridge overlooking the flight deck. Pretty cool! :)

More friends!

2008-10-16T10:01:00.001-04:00

My former neighbor, Amy, drove from NY with her three kids for a mini-vacation while her huband went on a business trip to Chicago! We had such a great, great visit!! :)

They arrived Monday night just after 7. Some of their old friends (one of which is now our favorite babysitter) came over to visit just after 8:00. It was late, but the kids were on cloud nine to play and have such fun. :)

James loves Addison.... he has since birth! The first thing he did on Tuesday morning was crawl up on the couch and snuggle right up next to him! Tuesday was so wonderful. It was warm and sunny with only a slight little breeze. I kept Jemma home from school to spend the day at the beach! The kids had so much fun. I was exhausted because James kept going in the water. He got knocked down several times and I had to catch him/hold him, but he just kept wanting more. He was giggling and saying "Fun, fun" and "More, more!" Thankfully, Jemma was content to play in the sand and go in just to get her feet barely wet! We even saw the dolphins frolicking in the ocean not too far away.

Jemma did go back to school on Wednesday. Amy and I loaded the four kids and took a trip to Kid-to-Kid (my favorite second hand store). I bought a few things for dress up and I'll post pictures as soon as I get some good ones. At 3:30 Lauren and Gabriella came over and we took all seven kids to the Bounce house. I forgot my camera, but Amy's friend, Kathy, was there with her two kids and she took some pictures... as soon as she emails them to me, I'll post them. Then, we took the kids to Chick-fil-A for dinner... 3 Moms and 9 kids. Plus, Merin met us with Mya and Scout. Scout was having a rough afternoon, so Merin left Mya with me.... 3 Moms and 10 kids! And everyone had a good time and ate their dinner. Did I mention that it was "Kids Night" at Chick-fil-A? The cow was there and all the kids loved it... it was so nice because the cow came over and distracted the kids while the Moms ordered and got food on the table! There was a raffle and James won a Veggie Tales DVD. As soon as we returned home, the kids wanted to watch the movie. So, while Amy took Lauren and Gabriella home, I put on the movie. This was as quiet as they were the whole day!

Before beginning bath and bedtime, we gave Claire her birthday present. She was so cute... she put on the tights as soon as she opened the gift! I know it is hard to see from this picture, but Claire has on one of Jemma's dress up outfits... Ariel. Claire discovered it on Monday night and wore it every time we were in the house! Little girls are just so gosh darn cute...

Our visitors left Thursday morning at 7:30. It is so quiet now... we need more visitors soon!! :)

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Jemma has been sleeping in our sitting room so our guests could have her room. I asked her at breakfast if she was excited to sleep in her bed tonight and she wrinkled up her nose and said, "But it will smell like Brady!" I had to laugh... I promised she would have clean sheets before she returned from school.

Friends

2008-10-13T22:16:00.003-04:00

We love visitors... we love visitors!!! :) I especially love the type of visitor that doesn't mind a comfortable (messy) and relaxed (somewhat chaotic) house where it is expected that you just make yourself at home... and I did love that Rob has that authoritative male voice that the kids responded quickly to!

Leeann and Rob and Rachel drove from NJ on Saturday. Plus, Bonnie drove from South Boston to visit with all of us, too! We had such a lovely, lovely visit.

On Sunday morning, I made pancakes for breakfast. After breakfast, to give me a little break and prepare for the day, Leeann and Bonnie took the kids to the park. They both can now vouch for how fast James is... it was about 1 minute after Leeann went outside that I heard her say, "I lost James! He was here and now he is not." He had run across the street and was in the neighbor's garage! Upon Bonnie's return, she commented that we needed one of those little backpacks with the leash... we have one and I do use it! It is a Monkey that I bought for Jemma because she went through a phase of running from me in stores. We went to the Farmers Market Sunday morning on a quest for a good pumpkin to make pumpkin cheesecake. We also planned to get ice cream from Yoder Dairies (they have such yummy ice cream); however, they are not open on Sunday. So, we each got a fresh and delicious apple. Then, we went to the beach. It was a windy day so we did not stay long. Rob and Leeann made pumpkin cheesecake (wonderful!) and pumpkin bread (oh, so yummy!) while I made mac-n-cheese and chickpea and spinach casserole for dinner. We had such fun just letting the kids play while we chatted. Rachel loved dressing up, especially wearing the pink tutu!

I was sad to see them leave Monday morning. I hope we can get together again very soon!