Puzzlers

Most of you know the John has a knack for puzzles. We started him out with the big wooden puzzles around 18 months, and it took him a while to catch on but he eventually did, and then around age 2 we introduced him to his first jigsaw puzzle, and after we did it with him a few times he figured it out on his own and there has been no stopping him. he'll sit down with a 60 some piece puzzle and put it together himself. We even just completed a 500 piece Toy Story puzzle as a family, a little to hard for my puzzle genius to do on his own, but we conquered it as a family!
I'm not exactly sure where John's love for puzzles comes from, I remember doing puzzles as a child but I can't say that it was something I could spend hours doing, and I definitely remember getting frustrated and giving up many times.
It must be in the family somewhere, because Audrey is just 16 months old and she is already getting the hang of the big wooden pieces she can tell you where they go, she just cant make them fit. So it looks like I have a couple of puzzle masters on my hand, and that's OK with me:) I would rather sit and watch them master puzzles instead of video games any day:)

Moments like these.

There are a lot of crazy moments at our house, moments where cups of juice are being spilled, the babies screaming, and the dog dumps the garbage can all over the kitchen, yes that all happened with in 5 minutes, talk about a bad start to ones day. Or there are the moments in time I try and make a phone call, and Audrey pulls every DVD off the shelf and there are a ton! And John & Pluto decided to play a game of chase and everything in the way tables, chairs, and Audrey get knocked over. Yes it can be complete chaos here at times. However, the only reason I make it through those chaotic moments are because of moments like these, that make it all worth it.

Yes, I actually found them sitting like that while watching a movie. This is how I like to imagine my family, calm and loving...but these too are only passing moments!

Pumpkin Carving

Sometimes my children surprise me. Last weekend we carved a pumpkin, and I expected Audrey to have little interest and John to love playing with the "pumpkin guts." That's not exactly what happened, John was so excited about the process but when it came to the actually work he decided it was bit to yucky for him, and was more than willing to sit back and watch his baby sister dig out the pumpkin, and she took her job very seriously.

After mom and Audrey cleaned it out, daddy carved a face and John supervised the entire process. He obviously felt it was his job to tell everyone what to do and how to do it, but didn't want to be the one getting his hands dirty...typical man!


Despite the lack of in hands on involvement from John, it was still a fun family activity, and both John & Audrey are so proud of their finished project, and love to show him off to anyone that comes by the house.

Hair Cuts!

Today I took John & Audrey for hair cuts, I knew John's would go well, but this was a first for Audrey and as leery as she is of new experiences I was expecting a battle. As predicted John was a pro, and even made his demands known. He wanted to watch the Disney channel, and wanted a piece of candy, and our sweet friend and hairdresser happily obliged. And as always he looks as handsome as ever, which he was also proud to announce once she was done.
Things didn't go so smoothly during Audrey's cut. First John had been told to stay in the chair, and not touch...well he set my car alarm off not once but twice, and turned the hair dryer attached to the chair on several times. Because I had to hold Audrey because she wasn't about to sit in the chair by herself, I was unable to get the pictures I wanted. We attempted a before shot, but this is the best we got. We also used candy as a form of bribery ( I know I'm such a bad mom) with Audrey. And it worked for the most part, she was so engrossed with the candy that she sat still while Miss Carol cut the back and sides of her hair. The front, however was another story. Every time Carol came near her face with the scissors she would arch her back and yell, so the bangs did not come out anything like I had hoped:(
Overall she didn't do to bad, and her bangs will grow out...I have to keep reminding myself! And hopefully next time things will go even smoother:)

It's been a while

I realize it's been a while so I wrote, and I have to admit although there has been plenty to write about, I just haven't had the motivation to write. Between trying to keep up with my EXTREMELY hyper active 3 year old son, keeping my 16 month old daughter out of things she shouldn't touch but it bound and determined to do so anyway, keeping up with the potty breaks of a 5 month old puppy and 3 year old boy, trying to keep some kind of peace between the 3 no the 4 of us, and then trying to keep up with house work (keeping up I have not been doing); by the time I get a few minutes to sit and write it's honestly one of the last things I want to do. Instead i like to sit and stare off into space and listen and appreciate the silence the stillness, because it doesn't last long. However, I feel guilty about not writing, so I'm going to try this again. Because there are moments amongst all the craziness that I want to remember forever. Moment like last night, when my little boy was so excited to climb into bed with me and snug for a full hour to watch to Handy Manny special on the Disney Channel. Or the random kissing storms that come upon Audrey. She'll kiss you a 100 times and more until you find something else to distract her, and it's not easy. It's moments like these that I never want to forget, so back to blogging I come.

John's 1st Dentist Visit

John had his first dentist appointment this morning. I did not know what to expect, because for some strange reason John LOVES to go to the Dr. S o I thought maybe he would enjoy visiting the dentist as well, but then again he is a little nerves with new experiences and if this doesn't go well, he'll never want to go back.Fortunately things went very smoothly, he was a little nerves to begin with, but once the hygienist showed him the tool she uses to rinse the mouth with and shot water into his mouth a few times, he couldn't help but laugh and settled right in.
He loved the spinning tooth brush, but I think he made it a little difficult for the hygienist to do her job because he wouldn't stop giggling because it tickled he said.
Between being able to pick the flavor of the toothpaste, going for numerous rides in the chair, playing with the water, and getting a prize at the end, John had a great first experience, and I don't expect to have any problems the next time we take him for a visit.

Fall Leaves

I am eager for fall, and all that it brings! All the beautiful leaves, Friday night football games, pumpkin pies, scented candles, and fall festivals, I have to admit I think fall may be my favorite time of the year. It is my love for fall, and the excitement of it getting so close that led to this project. On Saturday morning John and I went outside a picked a few leaves and talked about the changes that are soon to come, we then went inside and painted our leaves, to make make our own beautiful fall leaves.
It was on easy and fun project that gave John & I some one on one time which we don't get a lot of these days.

4 Years & Counting!

4 years ago today I married the man I fell in love with when I was just 15! The first few years, OK the first 5 where a little rough, but young love usually is, is it not? However the last 5 years, the year of our engagement and 4 years of marriage have been wonderful and I would do it all over again. My husband is a hard working, God fearing, and loyal man, who adores our children! What more could I ask for:) These past 4 years have been busy with moving and the births of our children, seems like we are in times of transition more than we are not, and it doesn't look like things are going to slow down in the near future, but possible get even crazier. I am so excited to embark on all the future holds for us, because we will take it on together, as husband and wife with our children at our side. I love you Aaron, you are everything I always knew you would be, and I love sharing my life with you!

He's 3 today!

My little man i 3 today! It just doesn't seem possible. I can so clearly remember the night I found out I was expecting, the day we found out it was a boy, the night he was born, how I felt the first time i looked into his eyes, the way my heart broke when he wouldn't take to nursing, and feelings of failure I had to deal with.


I remember his first smile, and his first foods,I remember the first time he woke with a fever,and the fear the griped my heart, our first trip to the park, and our first visit to the zoo, I remember his first Christmas, and birthday.

I remember the look on his face when he first held his baby sister, and the love that shown from his eyes.I remember the smile from ear to ear the first time he was on the receiving end of Audrey's laugh. When did my baby turn into a little boy? John is my 1st born, and because of that He will always hold a special place in my heart. Not only was it the birth of my son but the beginning on a new stage of life for me. It was the day I became a mother, and it has been wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better baby the 1st time around, the delivery was easy and he was the best behaved baby a mother could hope for, he was always easy going, full of smiles, loved life, and everyone in it. Now he's 3 and no longer a baby, he dresses himself, uses the potty, and brushes his teeth. His favorite day of the week is Sunday when he goes off by himself to Sunday school. When we go the park he now wants to climb the ladders not the stairs, and only the highest slide will do. He runs and jumps, climbs and does somersaults. He is also has an opinion on just about everything, what he does and doesn't want to eat, when he should and shouldn't go to sleep, what he should and shouldn't share with his sister, what he will and will not wear. I can already tell the next year is going to be a challenge with my active and opinionated little man, but I look forward to the journey just as much as i did on the day that I found out I was expecting my first child. Happy Birthday John, I love you more than you will ever know!

Pluto

We have done it again! Now before you start with all the wise cracks and comments you should know there are some very good reason behind the decision this time...which I will share at a later time. For now the reason for this post is to introduce the newest member of our family.

Pluto!

Pluto, is 14 week old German Shepard. We adopted him Thursday night, and after Aaron and i spent some time discussing some very strong & masculine names, John informed us his name was Pluto! And so it is:) So far Pluto has been an excellent puppy, he is taking to house training like a pro, only one accident in 4 days, and he went to the door 1st I just didn't get to him quick enough. Other than that he enjoys just being in the same room as we are, he plays for short periods of time and then goes and finds a spot to lay down and watches/ sleeps from a distance. Why a German Shepard you ask? Well first of all I have always been a fan of the breed, and second I wanted a dog that would be good with the children, but also act as a guard dog because Aaron has been doing some traveling, and may be doing more in the months to come, and call me chicken if you must but i just don't like being alone at night and I never sleep well when he's gone, so just maybe as Pluto gets a little older and becomes protective of his house and family, I just may be able to sleep better on nights when my hubby is away.

The 1st of Many

Today we ( John, Audrey, and myself) had a play date with the Lewis family. It was an excellent way to spend a HOT summer afternoon...We had home made pepperoni bread, and a fresh fruit salad picnic lunch underneath the shade of a tree, and then spent the rest of the afternoon watching the boys play on the slip & slide, and in the pool. I can't say enough how nice it was to sit back and watch John have fun, and at the same time have an adult conversation. Even Audrey enjoyed herself playing in the pool, and watching the boys.
In a year or so she too will have a play mate, but for now the 10 month difference between her and Moriah, means the Moriah still enjoys to spend her days eating and sleeping. But one day I have no doubts they too will be good friends. I am so happy to watch a friendship develop between John & Malachi, and equally excited for the friendship that will develop between the girls. I can imagine nothing better than my children having good friends, life long friends who share the same faith, the same morals, and the same standards to face life's trials with.

I know 1st hand that the type of friends you have through out middle/high school really effect the choices you make during those years, and I thankfully had some great friends, and what nothing different for my children. So today was hopefully the 1st of many successful play dates, and the beginning of some beautiful friendships not only for the children but for us mamas as well.

What a difference a year makes.

July 4Th 2009


July 4Th 2010

My babies are growing up! I have to admit, I am one blessed mama to have 2 such beautiful children :)

Waffles, Strawberries, and Snow!

This morning was a slow lazy morning, we all slept until 7:30 and then the kids and i laid in bed for a half hour and watched mickey mouse while daddy got ready for work. There is nothing better than getting an extra hour of unexpected sleep, and then cuddling in bed with 2 of the cutest littles in the world! Exchange sleepy eyed hugs and kisses, and setting a peaceful pace for the day. Once we got moving, I asked John what he wanted for breakfast, and he says " waffles, with STRAWBERRIES & SNOW!" Usually this is a treat saved for an occasional weekend...but what the heck, I asked him what he wanted and he told me...So that's just what we had!

Our Little Princess

I have to admit I LOVE having a little girl. There is just something so exciting about seeing baby dolls, strollers, little pink tea sets, and purses laying around my house. I love the pretty dresses, and bows, and painting her sweet little toe nails! I always wanted a little girl, and now that she's here I am soaking it all up! However, as much as I am enjoying having a little girl I have to say that one is enough! Aaron and I are undecided about having more children, but one thing is for sure that if we do, I will beg God for another little BOY! As much fun as I am having with Audrey, she has also been 10X more difficult then John ever was. She has an attitude, and she knows how to use it! John has been my buddy, he's always been so easy going,he loves life and everyone in it. He is easy to discipline, and although on the hyper side he is over all a well behaved little guy. Miss Audrey on the other hand, stands her ground and will go down fighting if she has too...not exactly what I expected from my little princess when she was born. However, I still adore her..attitude and all :) I will just pray that one princess is all this household will hold!

You are 1 Today!

We celebrate with you today,
The Anniversary of wombs dismay,
She screamed and yelled, with a lions roar,
Her cries were silenced, with a baby’s snore.

You crawled and fell your way upright,
We smiled with joy, a gorgeous sight!
And now you’re one, on this special day,
We love you more, than we could ever say.


A year ago today, you made your way not only in to my life, but into my heart. We no longer shared the same breath, but just one look into your eyes and hearts began to beat together. Right there we formed a bond that we will share all of your days. You will always be my daughter, and I your mother. The last year has flown by, and with so much excitement, I was the recipient of your first smile, and heard your first laugh, we sang your praises when you rolled over, and gave a cheer when you began to sit up on your own, and then quickly learned to crawl. We loved watching you learn to play peekaboo, and wave bye bye, and your latest accomplishment brought a whole new excitement of it's own,you're walking!!!! You are a feisty little girl, who knows what she wants, but you are also extremely loving, and there is nothing better than sitting and snugging with you:) Today is your day my baby girl, and we want to do nothing but celebrate your precious life, and the joy that it brings! So today, and on Saturday when all our friends & family come together we are going to celebrate, and let you know that we love you! You have already been blessed with some pretty sweet gifts. Aunt Kerri bought you these awesome shoes!


They are Gladiator Sandals...and you look superb in them!

Then Jessica bought you a Birthday Bib, and a lady bug bank, because your party is lady bug themed:)





Thanks again to Aunt Kerri, & Jessica. Mom & Audrey LOVE her gifts

11 Months Old, The begining of the end

This is it...our last month of infancy. Audrey is now 11 months old, and I'm a tad bit more emotional about it than I anticipated. She's my baby, and I'm not ready to say goodbye to her snuggling up to my chest and drifting off to sleep, or the heart warming laugh she gives when we kiss the rolls on her pudgy little legs. And the way he little body relaxes in my arms as she drinks her bottle just before going to bed for the night. However, I am looking forward to watching her master walking, currently she can take about 5 wobbly steps at a time. And o how I love the excitement in her eyes as she takes each unsteady step with a determination to reach her finish line. Have a mentioned that this girls also loves to talk! She babbles all day long to anyone that will listen, she loves to wave and say "Hi" in the most adorable high pitched excited tone that she can muster up. I can't wait until she begins to actually speak more, and I can share in all her excitement. She has also recently taken an interest in her baby doll, and I love watching her hug on it, and when she does she goes "aw". I can't wait to watch her push her baby dolls up and down the sidewalk in a stroller, or lay them in a crib in her room at night. There is so much to look forward to, so as sad as I am to see the infant stage of Audrey's life pass, I am also excited for all the fun that's in store for us in the 2nd year of her life. And we are going to start the year out right, with an awesome lady bug bash for her 1st birthday!

Puzzles

I love watching John's little mind at work. He has always been a fan of the big wooden puzzles, but up until a couple of weeks ago I hadn't really challenged him with jigsaw puzzles. We had one that's not to difficult, but being as he hadn't done them , I thought it would be something we could work on together while Audrey was napping one morning. Well to my surprise after helping him put in back together one time, John quickly picked up on the concept and wanted to do it himself. I was in awe as I watched his little mind study the pieces and place one by one into the puzzle until it was complete. John was so taken with the puzzle that we bought a few more, a little more challenging and he mastered those just as quickly.He amazes me more all the time! A little smarty pants just like his daddy:) Just in the last week we bought a couple of more puzzles even more challenging. One a big floor puzzle of Thomas the train this one did challenge him a bit, it took him a whole week to master it!

And then daddy just found a set of 3 toy story puzzles each one a little more difficult, but he again mastered the first one on the first day, and puzzles 2 and 3 still give him a bit of a challenge but I don't expect it to be long before he has them down too.

Happy Mother's Day!

I want to wish every mother old, and young, those that are expecting, and those that hope to be one day a Happy Mothers Day! There is nothing in the world like being a mother. Motherhood holds the happiest and most challenging moments a woman will ever face. I love my children more than words can express, they have turned my life upside down, and I thank God that he has entrusted their little lives into my hands. I can't express what I feel when I look at my children, knowing that they shared my very breath, that their little bodies where formed and grew, and moved inside mine. To know that the sounds of my heart beat and my voice was and will always be a comfort and a constant in their lives. To know that there will be many people who will influence their life but mine will leave the biggest footprint on their hearts. Being a mother is not always easy, there are days...O there are days that i cry tears of frustration and wonder if I have taken on more than I can handle. But then I remember the days i feared i would never have a child, and I thank God that I do have not one but two beautiful children, different in every way but both mine. Not one but two children who need me, at my best and even at my worst. Who look to me in tears of fear for a peace only i can bring, or tears of pain for comfort only I can give. Little ones who laughs brighten my day, and make my heart skip a beat. I thank God that I have been given the opportunity to walk along the road of motherhood, with a little hand in each of mine, and pray that He walks before me leading the way, so that the imprints I leave on their little hearts will lead them to personal relationships with the only being who could ever love them more than I do.

Something New Every Day

Last week was yet another exciting week with Audrey. This may not be all that exciting to most people, but we are finally able to put Audrey's hair up into a pony tail, and just today she wore pig tails! It is so much fun to divulge into all things girl...pretty dresses, shoes, and finally pretty hair bows. Even bigger news she also took her first steps on Friday night, with no encouragement. She was holding onto our recliner and I was sitting a few steps away on our couch and she just let go of the chair and took 3 quick steps over to me. Of course it took me by surprise, and we made a big deal out of it. So now whenever we actually encourage her to try she gets so excited she can only get a step and a half before she falls, but it's a start! I also am fully aware that her walking is just going to make my days a little more challenging, but it's still so exciting! On Saturday she surprised me once again, when she all of the sudden climbed my stairs...there was no excitement this time. I had run up stairs to grab something, and usually she'll crawl over to the landing and wait for me to come down, but this time when i went to come back down stairs she was almost at the top, and my heart sank. What if she had fallen? Thank God she didn't, but still a little to scary. I guess it's time for baby gates! She also is starting to talk; she has been saying mama, and dada but as of the last couple of days she says up, and baba for bottle. It is scary how close to 1 she is getting, and the changes that are occurring daily, however we are enjoying watching our beautiful princess turn in to a toddler!

Our Family Trip to Philly (part 2)

I wish I could say that the kids slept soundly that night and that we all woke up well rested and ready for the day ahead of us, but that's not what happened. Both kids woke up a number of times that night, and finally decided that it was time to get up for good at 5:30am. It took a little while to get going that morning seeing everyone was a little exhausted from the night before. We finally made it to the zoo around 10:45, and John was so excited he could hardly contain himself. Thus the reason he started out in the stroller.

We had no set plan, we figured we would just spend some time looking at each animal as we got to them. But John had a different plan, he wanted to see the lions! We tried stopping and looking at a couple of the other animals along the way, most he didn't pay much attention to,he would just glance at them and say " I want to see the lions!" Except for the hippos they did get his attention, and we stayed and watch them play in the water for a bit. Even Audrey was enjoying her day,although I think she was doing more people watching than looking at the animals.

We finally decided to head over to see the lions, and much to our disappointment they where sleeping in the shade and we were really unable to get a good look at them. It didn't bother John much though he was thrilled to finally get a look at a real lion. Some of the highlights from the day where the sea otters. John had a great time watching the otters play around in the water, and one even came right up to the glass to get a good look at him.

The goats where also a favorite because he got to brush them, and anytime he gets to actually interact with the animals just makes his day.

And of course the apes are always good for some entertainment.

He was also thrilled to have a whole day to spend with dad. He has really turned into a daddy's boy since Audrey has been born, so nothing makes him happier than to have Aaron's full attention.



After being up half the night, getting up at the crack of dawn and then spending some time in the sun Audrey was worn out, and ended up sleeping through the last half of our time at the zoo.

Needless to say we had a fun day in the sun and truly had a great time together as a family, creating wonderful memories!

Our Family Trip To Philly (part 1)

This weekend Aaron and I took the kids down to Philly so we could go to the zoo and spend time with some friends. The trip down was great, it was a beautiful day the and the kids traveled better than expected. Of course traveling with a DVD player, blankies, sippie cups, and snacks always helps! Audrey put up a little of a fuss at one point but we found that trying to sooth her wasn't helping so we just ignored her and she gave up and went to sleep, and then woke up happy and ready to go again.

Once we got down there the guys( Aaron and his friend Steve whom we stayed with) unloaded the car and we headed right over to a park so the kids could run around a little and daddy could fish for a bit. While at the park Audrey conquered her fear of the grass! Yes, my daughter for one reason or another has been afraid of the grass and every time we try to set her in it she would kick and scream in fear, but she over came that fear this weekend and we are so excited!


After we played at the park for a while we headed back to Steve's place. Steve lives in an apartment above his dad's garage, and his dad has a HUGE German Shepard named Panzer that we just love! When we got back to the house Panzer was outside to great us.

This was the first time Panzer has seen Audrey, and he was very taken with her. The rest of the weekend when ever we were outside Panzer was always with in a few feet of her and watched everything she did. She loved him just as much but was not a fan of the big sloppy kisses he liked to plant right on her face.

He obviously remembered John. This was the third time they have seen each other. Panzer has always been very gentle with John, but I was a little nerves about how things where going to go this time though because John is a little on the wild side, and I wasn't sure how the dog would handle his energy.


I obviously had nothing to worry about though. Panzer loved having some one to run around with and when he did get tired of John's games he would just go lay down and keep Audrey company. After we played with Panzer for a while, we ate dinner set up sleep stations and settled the kids in for the night, with high expectations for the the next day..our trip to the zoo!