Royal Cuties

Only Lila

2011-09-10T09:53:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was Lila's 4th day of 1st grade. Ryan and I were both home in the morning, and the bus came a little early. We rushed her out and kissed her goodbye. 6 or 7 minutes later, I was upstairs, putting away laundry when Ryan informed me that there was another bus in our neighborhood.

"Must be for a different school," I yelled down to him.

"Um, Lila is getting off of it and running back in the house..." Ryan continued.

"WHAT?!" I ran downstairs and met her in the hallway. She was all flustered (but not crying), and told me she had her bus driver, Miss April, bring her back home because I forgot to give her a check for her lunch. I rushed her back out to the waiting bus explaining that I bought 10 lunch tickets for her the other day that she bought lunch, and she didn't need a check today. Then Trudy, all worked up from the commotion, charged past her and knocked Lila over in the mud. The kind and patient Miss April handed us paper towels to clean up, but I could see Lila was about to lose it. I thanked her for bringing Lila back home, and told her I would drive her in now.

Phew! What 6 year old convinces her bus driver to turn the whole bus (full of K-4th graders) around and take her back home because she forgot her lunch?!?! Lila, that's who. I think Emma, or any other 1st grader, would have quietly cried until she got to school instead of speaking up.

When I drove her in, we had time to chat about important things a first-grader should know, like:

Sometimes your teacher can let you call your mom if it's really important.

Mommy can drive things in to school during the day, Miss April doesn't have to do it.

If you don't have a lunch to eat, the school will give you one and send a note to Mommy.

And perhaps most importantly - Mommy has it all under control, and Lila can relax and enjoy school instead of carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

School has been going well, by the way. The only other problems I've heard about are:

1. You can ONLY sit "criss cross applesauce" during circle time and it hurts Lila's legs.

2. You're not allowed to wave and say "hi" in the hallway, you can only smile. ("Mom, what if they don't notice me smiling at them?!?! Then they think I didn't want to say hi!")

New School Year

2011-09-08T21:22:00.005-04:00

With mixed emotions, we ushered in the next school year. The girls were both excited to go back, but they'll miss lazy mornings and plenty of family play time. I was definitely ready for a schedule, but find myself counting the hours till my girls get off their buses. This is Lila's first year in full-day school! After three days, they're both still happy - a good sign!

6th Grade

1st Grade

Emma Grace

Lila Ann

Excitement

Confidence

Apparently I Took the Summer Off From Blogging

2011-09-08T21:21:00.001-04:00

Sorry.

School's Out!!

2011-06-20T13:18:00.004-04:00

School's out for the summer, and we're pretty excited around here! Take a look at how my girls have grown over this past school year:

First day of 5th Grade

Last day of 5th Grade

First day of Kindergarten

Last day of Kindergarten

She looks like she's ready for summer!!

Emma's too cool to act like that ;)

Piano Recital

2011-04-25T11:06:00.003-04:00

Emma's piano recital was a few weeks ago, and we're so proud of her! This was her first real recital, and she was really nervous. She played three songs beautifully! And she looked this good after changing in the car after her lacrosse game!

a little blurry, but you get the idea...

with her wonderful teacher

Lila got to hand out programs :)

Here's a portion of "Minuet"

Daddy Daughter Dance

2011-04-25T10:50:00.003-04:00

One of the highlights of Lila's little six-year-old life was a few weeks ago, when Ryan got to escort her to her Girl Scout dance. She has watched Emma go to this event several times, and was SO thrilled that it was her turn. Can you sense her enthusiasm?

our princess

requesting a song....

life of the party...

Slumber Party!

2011-04-01T10:18:00.002-04:00

We were lucky enough to have our friend Jessica overnight while her mom was away. And wow, did we ever have a girly good time!! :)

craft time....

before bed....

Chicks With Chicks

2011-03-28T18:20:00.003-04:00

It doesn't feel like it, but it must be spring! Several of our friends and relatives have just gotten baby chicks, and of course, we had to visit.

Megan and Lila are in kindergarten together - can you tell?!

She just got new chicks!

This is one of Megan's friendly, one year old, chickens.

Aunt Patty got some too!

Impressive Non-Listener

2011-03-22T10:11:00.003-04:00

I know that I haven't updated my blog in forever, and I couldn't begin to catch up all that I didn't write about, so I'll just start fresh with a funny story from this weekend.

I was away for the weekend on our church's annual Women's Retreat - which was wonderful, by the way. The older they get, the easier it is to leave the girls home with Ryan for extended periods of time. They do their own hair (for better or worse), memorize the schedules, and help with mealtimes. In fact, I'm pretty sure that 11 year old Emma could run the show without help if she could drive. :)

In getting things ready for my absence, I picked up a roll of Pillsbury Cinnamon Buns for Emma to make a fun, simple breakfast Saturday morning. Thursday night, I called her out to the kitchen, reminded her how to work the oven, showed her where the round cake pan and cooking spray were, took the can out of the refrigerator and read the directions with her.

Yesterday, I noticed that there was a can of Pillsbury Cinnamon Buns in the fridge. Hmmm, she told me that she made them. Were they SO good that Ryan picked up another can for Sunday? I even looked at the picture she took of her tasty creation. I wasn't sure they looked like the canned variety. Hmmmm....

The suspense was killing me! I called Ryan - he had no idea how she made them, just that they were good. So, when she got home from school, I asked.

"Did you make the cinnamon rolls Saturday?"

"Yes."

"How did you make them?"

"What do you mean? Like you showed me."

"Really?"

"Yeah - I took the dough out of the freezer and followed the directions for Cinnamon Rolls on the bag."

Apparently, she wasn't paying any attention to me when I walked her through the completely simple instructions to make cinnamon rolls. She, instead, used frozen bread dough, thawed it using the microwave instructions, rolled it out, made a cinnamon mixture, rolled it up, sliced it, and baked it. IMPRESSIVE! I have quite a few friends who would never attempt such a complicated recipe.

I told her I was torn between being so proud of her culinary skills, and so mad that she didn't listen to A WORD I said when instructing her!

Crazy Hair Day!

2011-02-04T16:22:00.003-05:00

You've gotta love purple Pippi Longstocking braids!

(especially on that face!)

What Is She Up To?

2011-02-04T16:10:00.002-05:00

.....I never know, but this is what I saw out my kitchen window this afternoon...

Icy Cold Fun

2011-02-01T12:56:00.004-05:00

It's been a very cold winter so far! We've made the most of the snow and ice, but I'm dreaming of seeing that first daffodil poke it's leaves up by my mailbox.

...a little wobbly...

(my two in red; bff, Maddy, in green)

"Quick, pose while you're all standing up!"

Snow Day!!

...sledding...

Snow Day #2!

Mommy and Trudy hard at work...

Christmas Visit

2011-02-01T12:23:00.006-05:00

Well, Christmas came and went, along with January, and I've yet to update my blog. So, here it all is in a very abbreviated format.

Gramma and Papa came to visit for Christmas! It was so wonderful to have them here to share in our holiday fun. Since the primary readers of my blog were here experiencing our daily lives, I didn't feel the need to update.

Here is a photo synopsis of the 2.5 weeks surrounding Jesus's birthday at our house:

...just a small part of the food prep fun with Gramma...

...the kids singing in church on 12/24...

Lila's in the middle with a red bow in her hair, and Emma's on the far right in black with a red scarf.

Emma singing her solo :)

Lila singing her heart out :)

Santa was here!!

I'm not sure what the big guy was thinking bringing marshmallow guns to our girls!

12/26 snow storm!

...helping her sister...

Lila, bff - Maddy, and Emma sledding on Ryan's homemade hill.

"WHEEE!!"

Day trip to Peddler's Village to see the Gingerbread Exhibit

Watching the Hokies play in the Orange Bowl

Gramma's spa treatments

Lila is Six!

2010-12-23T23:33:00.007-05:00

Well, my little baby girl turned six last week, and I haven't even had a spare second to blog about it! Why is it that that I have two children - one with a birthday a week before Thanksgiving, and one with a birthday a week before Christmas?! It's a crazy holiday season here.

Lila's birthday was last Thursday. We tried to hang birthday decorations to cover up the Christmas ones. She was thrilled to receive "Felicity" her new American Girl doll. She told me she was "the prettiest doll she had ever seen in her whole entire life". :) I love having daughters!

Lila continues to entertain us with her funny and whimsical ways. She's witty and smart. She loves going to school every day, and is having a terrific year. Her teacher reports that she is a leader - we knew this, but were happy to hear that other kids are actually starting to follow. Lila is helpful both at home and at school. Her big sister is her hero, and she can't wait for weekends when she is allowed to sleep with Emma. She loves to play with Barbies and organize her enormous make up collection. Our dog, Trudy, is her best friend and the two of them play for hours. Lila love animals of all kinds, butterflies and insects, nonfiction books from the library, snacks, and messy crafts. She finished playing soccer this fall and is loving being in a Daisy Girl Scout Troop. She loves making new friends and is quite the Kindergarten social butterfly. There's a funny/adorable story about Lila every day of her life, and we just love her and are so proud to be "the famous Lila" 's parents! What joy she brings to our lives!

Birthday morning

Birthday cupcakes at school

Birthday evening

Family party

Lila with her family

Pink cake with raspberries

Lila's Butterfly Birthday Party

My beautiful Butterfly Princess

The Kindergarten Krew :)

The picture she drew in her journal of her family celebrating her birthday.

Just look at all the love in the air!! :)

Christmas Treat Helper

2010-12-08T07:52:00.001-05:00

...and her job was "bowl-licker". She took the role very seriously...

Sweet and Sassy

2010-12-08T07:26:00.004-05:00

Well, it has begun. My second child now has a social life and Ryan and I are at the mercy of our daughters' social calendars. Kindergarten must be the official beginning - we have Birthday party invites every weekend. I know we can pick and choose what we attend, but it's all so new and exciting! :) Lila has been dragged around her whole life to everything Emma ever has, and now she's loving her new role as social butterfly. Plus, if other parents are insane enough to pay who-knows-how-much for super extravagent parties at awesomely fun locations, why shouldn't we take advantage of that?!

Last Friday was a highlight. Lila had a party at Sweet and Sassy - crazy girly fun! The 24! girls all got to dress in a gown, get their hair, nails, and makeup done, learn some party dances, and then walk the runway with their "new" look! While my feminist side knows that my daughter should be pulling her self-worth from within, the rest of me admits that it was a 5 year old's dream come true - and so cute and funny! Here's a peek:

This Friday Lila and I are going to a bouncy place for a party while Ryan is chaperoning the "Fifth Grade Event" at Emma's school. I sure hope the kids in Lila's class are all tired of all the glitz and high-energy fun by the time we have her party later this month. It's a butterfly party - at home with cupcakes, crafts, and a pinata. :)

Sleepover Party

2010-11-29T16:43:00.004-05:00

Well, I survived my first sleepover party as the Mom! Emma had four of her friends come to a spa sleepover for her birthday last weekend. They were really nice girls and gave me nothing to complain about! It was a bit surreal when I (who must have just attended a slumber party as a girl last week - it seems that way, anyway!) had to get out bed, go downstairs, and in a mom voice, ask if they were going to sleep yet. In that moment, I felt for all of my childhood friends' moms who had to sleepily do the same. Here are some pictures from the adventure:

Lila, entertaining her sister's friends over pizza.

The whole gang

Presents...

Manicures - Emma's idea was to have each girl design a fingernail. Since there were 5 girls, they each had a set of the designs on each hand.

Birthday Girl

Hot Tub Beauties

They all got spa robes for a favor thanks to great deal at CVS last month :)

PB&J French Toast - yum!

So Thankful

2010-11-29T16:34:00.003-05:00

Where do I begin to say what I'm thankful for?! I'm thankful for the wonderful life God has blessed me with to live for Him. I'm thankful for the responsibilities, opportunities, relationships, and comforts He has given me. I'm thankful for the peace, assurance, and joy that comes from having a relationship with Him.

Here are some action shots of the Thanksgiving Appetizer Party at my house:

"That Boy is a Running Fool"

2010-11-24T07:27:00.005-05:00

Ryan completed his second marathon last Sunday in Philadelphia. He did really well, and we're all pretty glad it's over. He trained hard for this and was even ahead of his goal pace until his knee stopped working around mile 18. Still, he finished in 3:57 - under 4 hours! I can't even imagine running for 30 minutes, let alone 4 hours!

It was a beautiful day, and our friends were here visiting so Brad could run the marathon too. So Melynie and I took our six girls in to watch them finish.

A beautiful background and adorable fans

Yeah! Here he comes!

"Run, Daddy, run!"

So proud of their dad

Ryan and Brad with their medals

Ready to go find the car

Eleven!

2010-11-21T16:29:00.004-05:00

My beautiful Emma turned eleven last week! She continues to make us incredibly proud to be her parents. What a wonderful young lady! Besides being sweet, loving, and gorgeous, we continue to hear reports from other parents about how nice and polite she is and how she includes others and stands up for herself and others who need her strength. She's having a great soccer season, plays the piano beautifully, and just got her report card with straight A+'s (well, she only got an A, a 95, in her accelerated Math class!). I know I'm bragging, but how can I not?! This is my annual blog post to tell you all what Emma's like, and she's just a terrific kid!

Aunt Becca gave her a straightening iron!

What a different look for my curly-headed beauty!

Family Shot

No fancy-themed cake to make this year - just Gramma's Chocolate Cake

New Converse and a vest

Lila was SO excited to give her a Pillow Pet!

New jammies for Emma and her American Girl dolls.

My little baby with her curls back

Woo hoo! It's game time!

Vacation

2010-11-16T07:42:00.006-05:00

It was a rough week in Longboat Key, Florida.

Lots of relaxing on the beach,

fishing on the dock,

gorgeous sunsets,

experiencing wildlife,

going on rides,

dancing, shopping, and eating downtown,

and don't forget trick-or-treating.

It's a rough life, but someone has to live it! ;)

Lila's Halloween Party

2010-10-31T00:21:00.003-04:00

This one deserves it's own post. Lila had her Kindergarten Halloween party yesterday, and I got to be a party mom. I was thrilled to see her in her school environment - she loves kindergarten! She wore a beautiful full Belle costume that a friend loaned us - complete with pumps and a wig, and wow, she was loving it!

Here she is nicely working on her craft with some classmates. :)

Lining up for the parade and starting to channel her inner princess..

That's my Belle posing with her hands delicately placed on her cheeks to showcase the gloves!

The princess - unleashed!

The Rest of October

2010-10-30T23:52:00.004-04:00

I'm a bad, bad blogger, I know. Here are some pics of the rest of October:

Pumpkin carving...

The "Halloween Event" at school

A visit from Tessa

Going to the parade

She Can Do It!

2010-10-14T15:14:00.005-04:00

Woohoo! Lila can ride a 2-wheeler with no training wheels!

Monday was a beautiful Columbus Day. We took advantage of everyone being off and worked on the daunting task of bicycle training. Lila has tried and almost learned this skill several times, but her wonderful Daddy likes to follow her lead on skill readiness. Not me! "Lila, today is the day you will learn to ride your bike." The first lap around the block was a little rough (understatement!) - for both of us. She could do it, but kept stopping every 20 feet. The fact that she learned how to stop herself was good, but she was too nervous to just keep going and tearful the whole way. We took a juice box break and she thought she was done for the day - no way. Ryan and I both went with her the next time, and she did great! Having Daddy there was just the security she needed. She was so proud of herself and happy.

Here's the proof! Listen to her scream of terror/glee at the end. :)

..a little nervous...

(Are you jealous of our lush lawn?!)

..more confident...

..the big kid...

Emma, celebrating with a piece of chocolate. :)

Museum Trip

2010-10-14T14:56:00.003-04:00

I completely forgot to blog about this day until I just found the pictures on my memory card! Of course, my blogging has fallen by the wayside a bit in the past few months. It seems that having my youngest in am kindergarten, doesn't give me oodles of free time like I thought it would. I could also blame Facebook, since it takes mere seconds to let the world know what's going on there, but a bit longer to write a thoughtful blog entry.

Anyway, this was a blog-worthy day. We took advantage of "Free Museum Day", and the four of us went to the Academy of Natural Science in Philadelphia. The girls and Ryan had a super time! About halfway through the afternoon, I realized that I had the flu. I mustered enough energy to finish the museum, but the following 24 hours were not pretty (the following week was even less pretty as the rest of my family also got it!).

The dinosaurs were awesome! The live butterfly exhibit was beautiful! And Lila found a new obsession, or let's call it a fascination, with mummies. In fact, as I type, my 5 year old is watching a documentary on the Valley of the Kings. Sigh.....

"Look out! There's a T-Rex after you!"

Emma running on the treadmill and making the dinosaur skeleton run

...happiness...

My country girls - loving the city.

What She'll Miss Most About Summer....

2010-09-22T15:32:00.001-04:00

Lila's Catch and Release Program:

Mini-Munchkin Soccer

2010-09-22T15:05:00.003-04:00

This deserves a post of it's own. :) Lila has been watching her sister play soccer for pretty much her entire life, and now it's her turn. She's playing on the Kindergarten co-ed team, and boy, is it funny to watch! At this age they're just learning to enjoy the game and have fun. Most kids position the ball with their hands before they kick it. They often swarm all together onto the neighboring field and shoot on the wrong goal. Ryan is her coach and is pretty awesome, I must say. Emma is loving helping him out with the five little ones.

The contrast of our two girls is once again very apparent. Emma's soccer strengths in the early years were: listening to the coach, doing exactly as she was told, understanding and playing by the rules, giving all the kids on the field a chance to kick the ball. Lila, on the other hand, is quite aggressive (I know, surprise, surprise!). She scored three goals last week, and probably would have also scored a yellow card had there been a referee! Her competitive drive is amazing - the girl wants to win! She cheers for her team with such enthusiasm that it makes me blush as her mother! It's going to be a fun fall with Lila's adorable games in the morning and Emma's competitive games in the afternoon.

"OK, make sure you remember which goal you're going for."

Lila - controlling the ball

Andrew and Lila :)

Assistant Coach and Coach

Special Visitors

2010-09-22T14:57:00.003-04:00

We were blessed to have Ryan's Aunt Alice and Uncle Jim come from WA to visit us in the middle of their East Coast vacation. We had a fun weekend with them, and hope they didn't mind being dragged around to two soccer games, a driving tour of the area, a food sampling of South Jersey's finest places, and to church with us! We're hoping other relatives will follow their lead and come out east for a visit! Here is the proof that they were here.

The Spectators...

...what they were watching...

Go Emma!

Come back soon, Aunt Alice and Uncle Jim!

Back to School

2010-09-08T12:38:00.006-04:00

It's that time of year again, and my 5th grader and Kindergartener couldn't be more ready!

Emma started Tuesday. I can't even believe that she's going to Middle School this year! Our schools are K-4 and 5-8. Her bus comes at 7:20, but she's been up fixing her hair and choosing her jewelry early so far (won't last long, I know!). Her new school is really great, and I'm super impressed with the principal and staff. They had 5 or 6 activites the last two weeks of summer for the incoming 5th graders to get used to the school. She went in for "Locker Day", "Schedule Practice Day", "5th Grade Scavenger Hunt", etc, so she was really not anxious about any of the new middle school things.

Trying out her locker last week...

An early breakfast on the special plate...

When did she get so grown up and gorgeous?!

... obligatory backpack shot ...

Lila started today, Wednesday. Yesterday her teacher had an Open House, so we got to meet her and see the classroom. Lila marched right into her room, shook her hand firmly, and said, "Hi Mrs. Trauger, I'm Lila Ann King."

"Nice to meet you, Lila, I can see you're ready for Kindergarten!"

...ahh, first impressions....

Lila loved her new teacher so much that she threw her arms around Mrs. Trauger's waist before we left the classroom.

Today, she finally got to ride the bus! She woke up happy, and grinned all morning - "not too nervous, mom - just excited!"

At Open House, trying out her seat

The "nicest teacher ever"

beautiful curls (she slept on rollers for those!)

looking pretty...

first backpack...

That's my girl!

Oh happy day!!

Bowling/Charlie's Angels?

2010-08-30T11:52:00.003-04:00

A cool, fun alternative to one of the many hot, hot days this summer:

Summer Vacation

2010-08-30T08:31:00.011-04:00

I've waited entirely too long to add this post, mostly because the amount of pictures from our two cameras plus Gramma's camera was just ridiculous. But it's a quiet morning here, and I decided to just give a brief overview of our 2 week vacation in WA, so I can get on with my blog and lesser happenings. The main reason I even keep this blog is for the relatives you'll see in these pictures, who live far away from NJ, and they already know about the vacation we enjoyed with them. :) So here it goes:

The Family Reunion at the Homestead:

Ryan and I, Treva (Ryan's sister) and Brian

The setting for our weekend...

Gramma's generation of cousins

Ally and Emma playing in the creek

having fun...

Lila supervising a game of Cribbage

Cousin kids camping...

Silverwood Theme Park:

The whole gang walking in...

The four of us, plus Tanta Treva, Logan and Michael, (Brian had to work), Gramma, Papa, and Fun-Cousin Elizabeth :)

Papa and Gramma with their favorite youngest grandchildren

Ride partners: Emma and Logan

Lila taking Gramma for a ride

Ride partners: Lila and Michael

Snack break...

Michael and Dunkel (Uncle Ryan)

Tanta, Lila, and Elizabeth

The waterpark was awesome too!

Cousins: Michael, Emma, Logan, and Lila

At the Lake:

Emma jumping off a post

Chilly water?

Michael and Lila

Popsicles at the Beaver Lodge - Classic!

Gramma and Papa's House:

Dinner on the deck...

Popsicles on the front porch...

The boys...

The girls...

Bocce on the lawn...

Lila's favorite part of visiting WA...

Games with Gramma...

My beautiful daughters in a beautiful mountain setting - Gramma and Papa's yard

A great dinner out...

Riding Aurora:

First Lila...

Then Emma got a real lesson from Elizabeth...

Trail Riding

We sure had fun! Can't wait to visit again next year, but we're so glad some of you will be visiting us before that!

We Love VBS!!

2010-07-19T21:38:00.002-04:00

The church around the corner had VBS last week. They had classes for both of my kids ages. We could walk there. It was from 8:45 - 12:00 - 5 days. It was free! Need I say more?

The girls had a blast. This is the first time (since they're five years apart) that they could both be a part of the same activity. It was so nice to hear them chatting about the songs and the people from camp together. I'm so thankful for this church and the impact they have in our town. So many kids from Emma's school attended their VBS - and they all brought more friends each day! When Lila found out on Thursday night that Friday was the last day, she cried sincere, sad tears! :( Thank you, corner church, for reaching out to my children and the kids of our community! Now we've opened the door to invite them all to our church for 5th grade camp in August, and youth group in the fall!

Abby, Emma, Shannon, and Maddy

Lila, Kate, and Megan

More of Emma's crew

15 Years of Wedded Bliss

2010-07-19T13:34:00.003-04:00

Ryan and I celebrated our 15th anniversary last week. We actually got away without the kids for 24 whole hours! This is the first time we've ever gone away for an anniversary, and it was nice to just be a couple for a little while. We used one of Ryan's free hotel stays and went to Annapolis. What a cute town! Everyone we told that we were going there said, "Really? Annapolis? Why?". My answer was simply that I looked on a map to see where we had never been together that was within a 2 hour radius. It worked out great! The waterfront town was beautiful. We had drinks at a dockside restaurant, strolled the shops, and ended with an awesome dinner at a steakhouse.

I'm so thankful for the husband God gave me! We're also thankful for our family that is more than willing to take shifts in watching our kids!

At "Pusser's" for drinks

Our Happy Hour view

The town with the harbor at the end of the street

The happy couple - 15 years later!

Low-Key Celebration

2010-07-07T12:49:00.004-04:00

Lila continues to recover nicely from her surgery. We've definitely had some ups and downs, but overall, she's doing great! Since most of her recovery took place over the long Fourth of July weekend, we didn't make any exciting plans.

Weekends without plans are a rare treat for us! The four of us enjoyed being home together and spent lots of time at Grammy's pool. Since our local fireworks were cancelled due to budget concerns, :( we had casual family BBQ's and watched the fireworks different neighbors were setting off.

Here's Lila - our pool-headed American Girl. For those of you who aren't aware of this tradition, Ryan is proudly wearing his Old Navy 2002 4th of July shirt. You can't tell in this picture, but he has used fabric paint each year to neatly cross out the previous year and add the current one. It's pretty much a collector's item now, and he brags about never giving Old Navy another $5 for a flag shirt.

The girls are waiting for the neighbors to do something cool, since we didn't have any cool fireworks of our own - only glow bracelets that Ryan threw up in the air to simulate fireworks. :)

Here we all are watching the faint spark of the neighbors' dwindling "firework flower".

Oooooh! Ahhhhh!

This neighbor had good ones!

Tonsil-Free!

2010-07-01T12:35:00.005-04:00

They're gone! Lila no longer has tonsils or adenoids, and I couldn't be happier that it's all over!

She had the outpatient surgery this morning. We arrived at 5:45 am (pretty early after our late night galavanting with Miss Tessa!), and they wheeled her away from us at 7:00. By 8:00 we were in the recovery room with the "best patient ever". She didn't shed even one tear through the whole ordeal! She was nervous, but we prayed with her, and the "giggle juice" took the edge off before we had to leave her.

She woke up when we entered the room, greeted us with a huge smile, and said, "Mom, my throat doesn't even hurt!" She was overly pleasant and polite to everyone who checked on her, and Ryan and I were very proud of her. The staff all told us she should be the poster child for tonsillectomies. We saw and heard lots of kids not coping nearly as well. :( They sent us home around 10:00, and she's been resting and enjoying the spoiling ever since. Movies, visitors, milkshakes, presents - she thinks the surgery was worth it! Let's hope it stays that way! She's on tylenol with codeine and an antibiotic for now. We can't wait to see how the sleep apnea improves - she's sleeping quietly now. (If you know Lila, quietly sleeping is a rare thing!)

Thank you for covering our family with prayer! We truly felt His presence.

before...

after...

now...

Summer Begins

2010-07-01T11:57:00.010-04:00

We have really kicked summer off with a bang! School ended for Emma just last Friday, and it seems like we've been non-stop ever since! I guess we'll settle down a bit now since Lila had her tonsils and adenoids out this morning. We'll have no choice but to take it easy for few days.

Here are a few photos of some recent happenings:

Emma's Piano Recital

A great visit with "old" friends....

...and our kids

4th Grade End of Year Party

Last Day of School Treat with Aunt Becs

(Lila made her the styrofoam ball necklace - just defending her fashion sense!)

OC with Miss Katie and co.:

Surfer Girl - Lila

Surfer Girl - Emma

My beautiful daughters

Baltimore with Miss Melynie and the girls:

Rainforest at the Aquarium

Inner Harbor

Dinner overlooking the harbor

LBI with Adam, Courtney, and Tessa:

Girls enjoying dinner together

You gotta love when Adam takes you to the rides! :)

Blonde curly-heads on the ferris wheel

So great to see friends that live far away but are always close to our hearts!

Comparisons

2010-06-25T17:02:00.006-04:00

I stole this idea from my friend Melynie's blog.

Here is a comparison of the girls on their first days of school and their last. They sure grow up a lot in a school year!

We're so glad it's officially summer for all of us!!

Emma - 1st day of Fourth Grade

Emma - last day of Fourth Grade

Lila - 1st day of Pre-K

Lila - last day of Pre-K

Catching You Up

2010-06-23T09:42:00.009-04:00

OK, so it's been a while since my last post. I'll try to fill you in on what you've missed:

My Birthday...

Emma's Art Show...

Lila's End-Of-Preschool Circus Show....

She was the "Seal Trainer" and did a marvelous job!

We love you, Mrs. Olson!

Lila's Kindergarten Orientation....

She was SO excited that she got to be in Aunt Meghan's group!

Andrew and Lila - Kindergarten will never be the same!

Gramma came to visit in the beginning of June. It was great to spend time with her, and she really enjoyed the NJ humidity! ;) We started off the visit with a 100 degree, all day, lacrosse tournament. The next day we finally got a very sweaty, very stinky, slightly damp cast removed!

The overheated fans...

playing strong...

The goalie gear was quite warm...

Lila and Gramma sewing my new patio cushions!

(no cast!!)

A great visit with old friends...

We went to Atlantic City with Gramma one day. It was the best of everything: beach, boardwalk, outlets, and lunch!

Beautiful new sundresses made by Gramma...

Ryan's Birthday....

Ta Da!!

2010-05-11T18:16:00.003-04:00

It turns out, Lila broke not only her radius, but also her ulna. Both breaks are in the same spot on her left arm/wrist, and both are "buckled" fractures - which means the bone kind of buckled or bulged out on the opposite side of the break.

That Lila, she doesn't like to do anything halfway! Always a real go-getter, my girl is!

Purple was the winning color, and she was very brave. The Dr. even asked about her pain tolerance because she didn't flinch through the whole exam! She's been tired and not had a huge appetite since it happened - I was told both are normal. Her whole little body is working hard to heal itself. The worst part will be when it warms up this weekend, and I have to tell her she can't swim for four weeks! :( We haven't broached that topic yet.

Missing Mother's Day Photo

2010-05-11T08:29:00.003-04:00

This was missing from my previous post. I didn't take any pictures at Saturday night service, assuming I would have opportunities on Sunday. Luckily Aunt Becca did, and sent this one to me. Emma is on the left in green, and Lila is on the right behind the boy in blue, with two healthy arms - those were the days...

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T12:51:00.004-04:00

I had an eventful Mother's Day yesterday. Lila and I got to spend the first half of it in the ER!

The girls were singing in church this weekend with their choir. I had just finished telling them to smile and not pick their noses and had gone to sit down in the sanctuary. I saw Emma come out, but no Lila. Apparently she had tripped on the way up the hallway and caught herself on her arm. When I got to her, she was crying and being tended to by an RN friend. Lila's a very tough cookie, so I knew that the tears were serious. She has a dangerously high pain tolerance. In fact, the night before, we were at a friend's house for dinner and she fell on the same arm. We were concerned then, but she settled down and even went to sleep. Sunday morning she seemed fine, but said it was still a little sore. I guess the fall that morning sealed the deal, because she has an closed distal radius fracture, and tomorrow we're going for the cast.

A nice nurse offered to take a picture to remember our Mother's Day:

Even with the added drama, I still had a wonderful Mother's Day. I'm so thankful that God has entrusted these two amazing daughters to me. What a joy to serve Him as their mother. I also got to talk to Ryan's mom, and celebrate and have dinner with my own terrific mother and role-model. I love you, moms!

Here the girls are working on a special dessert with Aunt Becca:

Conversations with Lila

2010-05-04T14:53:00.002-04:00

Today was V day for preschool.

me - "Lila, what do you want to take for your V show and tell?"

L - "ummm, vomit."

me - "That's not nice, honey. You can't say that at school."

confession - I was secretly thrilled that she knew vomit started with a v!

Last night:

L - "Daddy, guess what, tomorrow is Kindergarten "screaming" day!"

Ryan - "what?!"

L - "Tommorow, I have Kindergarten "screaming"."

me - "She means "screening"."

Ryan - "That's something we should clear up before tomorrow!"

Williamsburg Souvenirs

2010-05-03T16:50:00.003-04:00

The girls were so excited to try out their quill pens that we got in Williamsburg. I should have let them try sooner, but the idea of the ink just scared me off....

I'm pretty sure she had the whole alphabet when she was done - just in her own special "Lila order"...

Emma made a beautiful Mother's Day card for her teacher. So sweet!

Crazy Hair Day....

2010-04-28T19:50:00.002-04:00

She wanted straight hair for Crazy Hair Day. (Apparently she doesn't realize that people would pay a lot of money to have her regular, curly hair!) We had to set it with hot rollers to make it this straight! Good thing we had a bit of purple spray left from Halloween and soccer season to make it a bit crazier!

Mulch Mania!

2010-04-15T00:21:00.001-04:00

It had to be done!

Martha Washington

2010-04-15T00:10:00.003-04:00

Emma had her "Night of the Notables" last night for her Gifted and Talented program at school. The students pick someone "notable" to study and the culmination is a night of mingling, in character, with the parents and others at the school guessing who they are. This is her third year doing this, and what a great project! She has been Princess Diana, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and now Martha Washington. Notice the trend - cute costumes! ;) The kids really have to know their character and assume that role for the evening. They did such a great job! I always learn many new things and leave so impressed with our school and our students.

Thank goodness for Aunt Becca's JDD dress in the attic!

We love you all over again, Jessica McClintock!

Today, 4th grade ..... Tomorrow, the world!

Easter Vacation...

2010-04-14T15:08:00.012-04:00

We took it literally this year, and actually went away on a vacation! We took the the girls to Williamsburg

for a few days, and had a great time!

The unseasonably hot (97!) temperatures made it feel like summer, so we were able to enjoy the pool at the hotel, as well as Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg. Emma loved the roller coasters, Lila loved the animals, Ryan loved the reenactments, and we all loved spending some of the time with our good friends: Bryan, Lisa, Hailey, and Ben.

We celebrated our risen Savior with our own family service in the hotel. The kids loved telling about Easter with the "Resurrection Eggs" activity, Ryan read the account from the bible, and we all prayed around the table. My only regret was that we didn't sing "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" - can't escape my Presbyterian upbringing. We had a delicious breakfast cooked by Bryan and Lisa, followed by an air-conditioned egg-hunt.

The downtime of the vacation was really nice too. The kids and men enjoyed playing tennis and basketball at the hotel - until Bryan sprained his ankle. Lisa and I had fun chatting and talking about how we were going to lose our vacation weight when we got home. (Still working on that!) There was great shopping nearby, and Emma got to finish up some research on Martha Washington for a school project. The icing on the cake was a quick dinnertime visit with our great friends outside DC on the way home.

Signs of Spring

2010-04-01T15:21:00.005-04:00

Our new Swingset.....

Jessica, Lila, and Trudy blowing bubbles....

My fresh pedicure......

Emma jumping for joy.....

Weeds in our garden.....

Might As Well Make It Two!

2010-04-01T15:14:00.003-04:00

A few days after Lila lost her first front tooth just by gently wiggling it in the car, she loosened the other one with a face plant in Kohl's. It was a bad scene - tears, blood, ice packs. Apparently, while walking behind me, she tripped and landed on her remaining front tooth - ouch! The tooth hung on .... until this morning. She, once again, was thrilled. I just can't believe my baby will have no front teeth to start Kindergarten in the fall! She already looks old enough with her height! Now we're going to need to bring her birth certificate to Busch Gardens on vacation to prove that she is still under 6 and free!!

Notice Anything Missing?!

2010-03-23T13:45:00.001-04:00

....from my five year old baby's face?

Hershey = Delicious Fun!

2010-03-11T19:11:00.004-05:00

Ryan had to speak at a conference last week in Hershey. The girls and I just couldn't resist tagging along for a little outlet shopping and indoor pool fun! It was so nice to get away from it all for just two days! Eating close to our weight in chocolate wasn't bad either. :) Ryan was able to join us for dinner both nights and at the museum on the way home.

We spent about eight hours at this pool in the 36 hours we stayed at the hotel.

Happy swimmers!

The Hershey Story Museum was great! It was very interactive, and both girls really enjoyed it!

Lila wanted me to take her picture with E.T. He's a favorite with her, and Reese's Pieces are a favorite with him.

Thank you, kind stranger, for offering to take our picture all together!

Could It Be Almost Spring?!

2010-03-11T19:03:00.004-05:00

Please? I'm so hopeful! This has been a long, cold, snowy winter, and we're all just so ready!

(Couldn't resist adding this one of my little German girl...)

No more indoor Moonsand!! :)

Mom's Birthday Events

2010-03-11T18:46:00.004-05:00

My mom, aka Grammy, recently turned 60, so we had a great excuse to party! Luckily, she's so fun-loving and looks so fabulous, that she doesn't even mind me posting this for all to see...

First, there was the traditional pizza party at my house.

A few days later, the whole fam took a fun trip to NYC.

We had a wonderful dinner together.

Lila and Aunt Becca enjoyed sharing a Caesar salad.

We got to see Mary Poppins on Broadway! What a fun, all-ages, way to celebrate this lady we all love so much!

Funny....

Funnier....

Funniest....

A very late night dessert stop for coffee, cheesecake....

...and ice cream!

Thank you!

2010-02-25T09:29:00.002-05:00

We were all sitting on the couch the other night, in our jammies, watching the Olympics. Lila was all snuggled up to me and being sweet. She looked me over and said, "You look SO much better when you're NOT naked."

WHAT?!?!?

By Morning's Light

2010-02-11T08:40:00.004-05:00

What a beautiful morning! The fact that we had to shovel again and that the daggone plow driver has a personal vendetta against us made it slightly less beautiful, but still beautiful!

My mail-carrier will thank me for this handiwork!

Keep in mind my husband is 6'4"!

In Other News

2010-02-10T19:49:00.003-05:00

Basketball is well underway, and Emma is doing so well! This is her first year playing, and we can't believe how far she's come! The first game, she didn't even know what to do, and now she's scoring points and playing really well.

She's number 5 on he yellow team. Take a look:

Here are the little sisters, Grace and Lila. We're so glad their sisters are on the same team so they can play together during the games!

I thought I lived in NJ!!!

2010-02-10T17:34:00.004-05:00

OK, this is getting ridiculous! This is our third major snowstorm this winter - and by major, I mean, it never snows this much - ever!!! I've lived in NJ all of my life, and I'm used to 3-4 inches once or twice a year, but come on!! Global warming much?!?!

We're snowed in and enjoying the down time again. Blizzard conditions outside, but a fire and soup and family fun inside. Thanks goodness for books, coloring books, paints, card games, wii, board games, pollys, and, of course TV!! We've already heard that school is closed again tomorrow, so now we're just all looking forward to American Idol at 9:00! It is truly beautiful outside - take a look...

(we cleaned off the trampoline so if wouldn't collapse)

Don't throw snowballs at your wife!!!

Staying warm....

Makeshift sledding...

Soup's on! 17 Bean and Barley this time...

Aww, poor hungry chickadees!

Blizzariffic!

2010-02-06T14:07:00.004-05:00

I love a good snow storm, and we've had plenty this year!

Last night we had friends over for dinner, and the kids decided to have an impromptu hot tub party.....

Today has been all about doing nothing at home......

...And this is awaits the girls when they come in from the snow.....

Back in the Swing

2010-01-31T14:52:00.002-05:00

I realize that I'm such a blog slacker that I can't actually catch up on all that's gone on in our family this month, so I'll just start with this week.

We had a crazy week as usual. It started with a Girl Talk event at church (that I had the privilege of coordinating) with over 240 women in attendance! Then, Wednesday, we hosted Pastor Ghassan from Baghdad for dinner. What an amazing man! It was an honor to have him in our home and at our minichurch.

Thursday and Friday were the funeral services for my dear "old Aunt Dotty" (that was how she signed all of our cards). She passed away suddenly last Sunday, and she will be missed so much!

Aunt Dotty was my great aunt. She never married or had any children, but all 100 people in attendance at her service Friday morning called her "Aunt Dotty". She was a sweet, loving lady who endeared herself to all who knew her - familhy, church family, community, etc. Thanksgiving (Dollar Store) presents wrapped in newspaper was my favorite Aunt Dotty tradition. She always brought several for everyone, plus extra door prizes we raffled off! She also sent cards and notes for every occasion possible - lost teeth, report cards, new fish, etc. She was the only east coast great-grandparent my children ever knew - and they loved her! In fact, at her service, during open sharing time, Lila kept raising her hand. I, of course, kept pushing it down, afraid of what she might say. I'm so glad I finally gave in and let her share in front of 100 people. Lila stood and loudly proclaimed to the audience, "She was my great great Aunt Dotty, and I just loved her so much!" There was a collective sob through the room, and Ryan and I were so proud of our extroverted, bold, loving daughter. It was a rough week dealing the girls' emotions and questions - you can only imagine the wondering that went on! :)

We came home in time for a minichurch leader's dinner on Friday night. Saturday we had a little baby shower here for my friend Faith. So today, after church and a birthday party that Lila attended, we're enjoying some down time as a family. We're looking forward to life settling down this week.

December Blizzard

2010-01-09T11:39:00.004-05:00

You've got to love getting over two feet of snow 5 days before Christmas! At least "Trudy the Wonder Dog" does....

The kids had almost as much fun as the dog....

That's a whole lotta snow!

Christmas!!!

2010-01-09T10:58:00.006-05:00

Well, I'm finally getting around to blogging about our wonderful holiday. At first we were so busy, and then we were just busy relaxing together as a family, so I've been a total blog slacker. Part of the problem is that we got a very exciting New Year's gift - a new iMac! I love it, but it's taking some getting used to. I've been working on transferring my laptop photos into iPhoto so I could update my blog.

Our holiday was full of blessings including: fun gifts for all, time with friends and family, church fun, down time with Daddy, and celebrating Jesus.

Obligatory Santa photo:

We waited in line forever to see this guy. Lila told him she wanted real pixie dust so she could fly - great, that'll happen! She also asked for Sprayza (a cool marker set advertised on Nick) and an Easy Bake Oven. Emma wanted a bell from his sleigh - hmmm, watch Polar Express much? She also asked for Blendy Pens (another marker set as seen on TV) and an mp3 player.

Christmas Eve:

The girls sang with our Kingdom Kids choir at all four church services - 1, 3, 5, and 7!! We were at church from 12:30 until 7:30, but it was great to celebrate God's gift to us with our church family. The kids had a super time with an all-day Christmas party in one wing of the church. They had food, movies, activities and games with all of their friends all day. Ryan and I helped manage the kids and enjoyed the company of our closest friends. Emma sang a solo for the last two services. She sounded as beautiful as she looked, and we were so proud of her. Lila was a trooper and entertained the congregation four times with her adorable-yet-emabarassing, scarf swinging shenanigans.

We went to Aunt Becca's house after church for our traditional Christmas Eve "snacks for dinner". It was nice to relax with family after a high-strung day!

Christmas morning:

Emma woke up not feeling well, but rallied after a ginger ale and some presents. Gappy and Grammy came over at 8 for the festivites. Aunt Becca came a bit later, and we had a yummy breakfast and played with new toys - wii games, games, books, doll stuff, art supplies, movies, electronics - wow!

We ended the holiday with a fabulous dinner at my mom and dad's. Uncle Rob and Aunt Meghan joined us, as did my Uncle Barry and his family.

Ryan took off a few days over the rest of break, and we did pretty much nothing. That was wonderful - and very unusual for us!! We stayed in jammies, played with the girls, worked on projects, and stayed low key. Ahhh...

PreK Christmas Pageant

2009-12-27T13:45:00.003-05:00

Lila attends preschool at a Lutheran church. They really do their Christmas Pageant right - they start the story in Genesis with original sin and the need for a savior. Then they talk about how long God's people waited for the Messiah, and end with the birth of Jesus. It's an adorable show, and guess what part Lila got to play..... the serpent.

I kid you not!! I asked the teacher if there was some typecasting going on, but she denied it. ;) Lila also got a New Testament role - the Innkeeper, "because she has a nice loud voice", according to her teacher. Super. Here are the pictures - so cute!

The video of her walking in is priceless!!

My Five Year Old

2009-12-23T08:12:00.007-05:00

Lila turned five last week, and I still can't believe it! What was life like before her?! I have no idea - calm and uneventful, I'm guessing. She sure does keep us on our toes!

She is a wonderful preschooler who thinks she is ten, at least, just like her sister. She loves to play with Trudy, dance (to Radio Disney songs, of course!), and watch movies. Her "new" bear (to replace the completely disgusting and worn out one), Henry, is still her favorite toy. Lip gloss is her addiction - she spends hours transferring ALL of her lipglosses from special boxes to purses and back. Lila is also very good at puzzles and can recognize and write most of her letters - if she's in the mood. ;) She is full of happy mischief and makes us all laugh with her shenanigans. We love you so much, Lila!!

Her birthday was a whirlwind week of celebrating. Tell me why, again, I decided to have a baby the week before Christmas?! Oh yeah - I had very little to do with the timing. It's craziness! We started out with a family party on Monday, because that was literally the only day before Christmas that everyone was available. Lila requested pizza and red velvet cake, and I appreciated the simple menu. She got books, Disney princess Pollys, E.T. (a favorite), and a camera (number one thing she asked for), among other things.

Aunt Becca comes up big... costume for Kit!

How old are you, Lila?

Tuesday, we celebrated her birthday in her class, and I was the helper. We brought her absolute favorite, soft pretzels, for the snack. I also got to watch the reharsal for the Christmas play - hilarious!

Calendar time with Mrs. Olson

Wednesday, her real birthday, we did a bit of shopping and had lunch at Burger King. We had to rush up to church after dinner for the kids choir (both of our girls) to practice for Christmas Eve.

My beautiful 5 year old
"Thanks Tanta!"

Thursday was her kid party. We had four little girls over for a "Mermaid/Under the Sea Party". It was pretty low key, all that mattered to Lila was that there was a pinata. :)

Kit Kitteredge showed up in her mermaid costume

Get out of her way!

Lilly and Lila

So Busy

2009-12-15T12:35:00.003-05:00

We are still here. It's just that life has been a bit busier than normal lately. Since my last post, we've had:

A birthday party for Emma - she invited four friends and we took them all to the movies to see Disney's A Christmas Carol in 3D. It was a good movie and a great time. We stopped for pizza on the way home, then had cookie cake and presents at home.

The Women's Christmas Banquet for church - I'm the coordinator of this two-night event for almost 500 women, and the business of it all was even crazier than normal this year! Phew! It was a beautiful night, but I'm so glad it's over!

The Living Nativity at a local church - a very cold, but very wonderful night. A local church does such a wonderful job of telling God's story. The girls love this highlight of the season, so even though Ryan couldn't attend (he was serving at our church), the girls and I went with friends.

A Gingerbread House night - at our house with good friends - but a very sticky floor! :)

Shopping
Crafting
Decorating
Cleaning
Wrapping
Shipping
Etc.
Focusing on the reason for it all

-Oh, and then our normal busy daily life. Lila's birthday is tomorrow, so I'll post about those events soon.

So Thankful!

2009-11-27T10:02:00.006-05:00

Once again, I'm overwhelmed with all I have to be thankful for. God has blessed us beyond measure, and Thanksgiving is the perfect day to reflect on that. We had a relatively small (11 people), but bountiful dinner at our house yesterday. I had lots of help with people bringing things, so the head chef was able to relax and enjoy time with family. The girls had a splendid time with my cousins - what could be more fun for two little girls than two men in their late teens/early twenties?! We enjoyed the warm day out on the patio, watched a little football, ate way too much, and had fun chatting. A great time was had by all! We are so thankful!

Ryan carving and Sissy gravy-ing

Getting ready....

... to eat this yummy feast!

My momma and me

Mom (with kooky eyes) and her girls

Traditional After-Dinner Polar Express Party

The end of a great day!

T-E-N!!!

2009-11-18T16:31:00.004-05:00

I'm not sure how this happened, but my baby turned ten this week! I'm telling you it was just yesterday that I was holding her in my arms for the first time - so overwhelmingly in love my daughter and scared to death to be in charge of her! She has grown into a young lady that we become more and more proud of every day. Emma Grace is smart, beautiful, compassionate, sensitive, responsible, creative, artistic, and joyful! We are so blessed to be her parents, and can't wait to see all that God has planned for her!

A new bike! -Same size as Mommy's!

"I love it!"

Serenaded by her grandfathers...

Rubic's 360 - one of very few "toys" for this grown up lady

Headed to school, treats in hand, on her special day

Ice Cream Sundae Celebration with her sissy on the actual night of her Bday

Disney "Whirled"

2009-11-13T12:53:00.006-05:00

We had an awesome trip to Disney World last week! I'm not sure that I can do the whole trip justice in a blog entry, so I'll just give you the jist. We drove down with Ryan's parents through the night on 10/30. The girls slept all night and woke up to Halloween breakfast at Perkins in Savannah. We stayed at my parents' time share in Orlando. We were so blessed to be able to spend the whole vacation with both sets of grandparents! Our parents not only get along, but actually enjoy each others company - it's wonderful, and I don't take it for granted! The girls got to experience a week at Disney World with all four of their grandparents - unforgettable! :) We had so many great moments, but here are a few:

The only picture of ALL of us together!

Enjoying one of many ice cream treats - it's good thing we did a lot of walking!

Mickey and Minnie together! Yeah!

A rare, but coveted meeting with Cinderella

We met up with three other families, that were also vacationing that week, for Fantasmic - a nighttime show. It was so fun to share part of our vacation with good friends!

Watching the parade

We loved Donald!

Poinsettias and Christmas decor went up overnight!

Gappy was always game for a swim

Our last night at O'hana. Lila fell asleep at dinner and didn't make it to our family picture.

Trunked Treats

2009-10-28T14:07:00.004-04:00

OK, I'm frantically trying to update my blog before Ryan's parents arrive tonight and we go to Disney World in a few days!!!!! I can't have lingering pictures and events to post about with all of that excitement about to happen!

So, here are some costume preview shots of the girls from last weekend. Our church has a Trunked Treats night where the adults have basically tailgate parties in the parking lot, and the kids get to go trick-or-treating at each car. We had a great time with our minichurch friends! We'll be away for Halloween, so the girls were super excited that they still got to go get candy!

Princess preparation :)

Sleeping Beauty and Minnie Mouse

....sugared up kids in the back of my van....

We had a pretty cool spot - with a fire, wienies, and marshmallows.

Postponed Field Trip

2009-10-28T13:49:00.003-04:00

Our first attempt at this trip was rained out, so I was so glad we had a nice day for Lila's Pre-K Pumpkin Trip. We had fun, and here are the pictures to prove it:

Why did she sit with all of the boys for the lesson part of the trip? No idea. The girls were all at the other end of the row.

Paying close attention to the pumpkin farmer.

Trying to kiss the goat?
Group shot - she's in the center back.

Kate and Lila - victorious over the pumpkins!

She's still working on the self-portrait face...

Jack, Jack-O-Lantern

2009-10-19T19:37:00.004-04:00

It's that time of year again, and this family loves a good pumpkin-carving night. We all got into the action - Lila loved to scoop and then "carve" the pieces we cut out of our pumpkins with the little tools. Emma was an amazingly talented carver this year - no assistance required! She worked on her masterpieces for hours! The TV never even got turned on at Grammy's yesterday (except for the guys watching sports, of course!) I don't know where Emma picked up this slightly obsessive, perfectionist, crafty gene! ;)

Doesn't that man look healthy?!

The sign on my mom's wall over our heads says it all...
Also, notice that Lila is apparently chewing some of her pumpkin!

The finished products! We can't take all of the credit - Grammy and Aunt Becca contributed too!

Update on Ryan

2009-10-19T19:26:00.001-04:00

Ryan came home on Saturday night. I went in around 4:00 and shook things up a bit at the nurse's station. It went something like this:

Me: "What's going on with my husband? Yesterday the Dr. told us he may be coming home today - he hasn't seen a Dr. since yesterday afternoon! Can we please see a Dr. and find out what's going on?!"

(after 5 minutes, enter the Dr.)

Dr: "Well, his blood is clear - no infection. The leg looks better. We'll give you another dose of the antibiotic tonight and send you home tomorrow - how does that sound?"
Me: "We were hoping he'd come home today."
Dr: "OK - I can send you home on oral antibiotics today - is that OK?"

Um, I don't know - you're the doctor! Anyway, we made it home in time for the VT football game. It's so good to have him here. Thank you for your prayers and offers to help. We are so blessed. Please continue to pray that the infection will clear up and we don't have to go back to the drawing board with this.

No, This is a Bummer!

2009-10-17T12:53:00.004-04:00

Ryan went to the doctor on Tuesday because his knee was swollen and sore. The doc said it was probably bursitis, but put him on an antibiotic just in case. The swelling got much worse Thursday. We noticed it when he changed into his pajamas to watch the Phillies game that night. I was concerned because he was supposed to leave for Phoenix early Friday morning and clearly, the antibiotics he was taking were not working. We called the doctor and our chiropractor friend, Bryan, came over to take a look. It was decided that we needed to go to the er.

So, after much waiting, and a Phillies win, they admitted him! with a "skin infection". -I know, sounds gross, but really it just looked like a Popeye shin and knee. They're not sure what was initially wrong with his knee last Tuesday, but that appears to be better. The doctors put him on IV antibiotics to knock out the infection, that's why he's still there. The infectious doctors are calling it "cellulitis", and we need to make sure that the infection clears up before it spreads anywhere else. The good news is he's not in any pain and he feels fine (no fever, etc). We're not sure when the medicine will work enough for him to come home - but this afternoon would sure be nice!

Some of you may remember 6 years ago, when my dad was so deathly ill in Jefferson Hospital. That whole episode that led to open heart surgery started with a swollen and infected finger (a skin infection!). So this hits close to home for us, and we're glad that they're taking this seriously and getting it figured out before it gets out of hand.

Anyway, please pray for Ryan - that the doctors would know what's wrong, that Ryan doesn't stress about work and the business trip he's missing, that God would heal him. God has a purpose in this hospital stay - we just don't know what it is yet. Oh, and you could pray for his wife and kids too. ;)

Here are some pics of the family fun we had in the hospital:

Someone couldn't get enough of her Daddy!

The best medicine....

Thank you, Bortons!

McDonald's for dinner makes everyone feel better!
Daddy's on a work call, of course - give the guy a break!

The girls were so good - puzzles, books and games, oh my!

Bummer!!!

2009-10-15T17:50:00.003-04:00

Today was supposed to be Lila's school trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Ryan even took the day off to go with us. It was going to be a great day, except that this morning began apparently four upcoming days of cold windy rain! We thought it would hold out - it was barely sprinkling when we left home. This optimism only led to deeper sorrow 20 minutes later when we were told to report to school, they would try to reschedule our trip. Lila's lip came out and she was quite sad. :(

Here she is putting on a smile to go into her classroom.

So, she did get to show Daddy her classroom, which helped. When we picked her up, we took her to Produce Junction to pick out as many pumpkins inside as she wanted. And, for the icing on the cake of saving this sad day - we went to Riv for lunch. See, all was not lost!

Lots of cheap pumpkins! Just not as scenic as the field.

I love this girl!

2009-10-05T18:40:00.000-04:00

Applesauce!

2009-10-05T18:37:00.001-04:00

Yum! Nothing says fall like a homemade batch of applesauce! My lovely assistant and I made a batch today.

Soccer Saturday

2009-10-05T18:16:00.004-04:00

Saturday mornings = soccer around here this fall. Almost all of Emma's games are at 9:00 (much better than last year's 3:30 time slot). Ryan coaches from the other sideline while Lila and I watch from our matching red camp chairs. She likes a grown up sized chair this season, since it has a cup holder for her early morning hot chocolate. Since Lila is much better at watching soccer games this fall, I was able to try taking some pictures with Ryan's cool new work camera. A photographer, I am not, however, a soccer player, Emma is!

First time playing goal (in the yellow pinny)

Number 2 shooting on goal

again.....

and again.....

Very handsome Assistant Coach! (Emma's sitting to his left)

Lila making new friends

We won 6-0 even with the coaches taking some of our players off the field. Nice job goalie and center forward! :)

New Skirts

2009-10-04T14:45:00.005-04:00

Here they are, modeling the new skirts I made for them. Gramma sent us an awesome pattern and beautiful coordinating fabrics. Emma and Lila didn't feel like standing still for the pictures, however. That's OK, the skirts swirl very nicely!

(you can't see the skirt here, but look at that face!)

Smarty-Pants

2009-09-29T16:26:00.003-04:00

Overheard outside Emma's school while waiting for parent pick-up, "Now calling buses 1,2,3,4,7,8,9."

Lila mutters under her breath, "Boy, they sure need to learn how to count in this place!"

:)

Fall Weekend

2009-09-26T18:57:00.007-04:00

We've been busy, busy, this weekend. The weather was beautiful, and we had lots of stuff to move in our yard. It started with a very large pine tree next to our driveway. We've been debating if it was dead or alive for several years, and yesterday decided it was dead. So, Ryan took it down, and we cleared all of the branches, then dug the stump out.

Then we moved a ginourmous, too-big-for-it's-location forsythia into the vacancy.

We also ripped out an entire section of ivy and rearranged the shrubs in our front bed. Plants that got relocated included: arborvitae, peonies, azalea, dwarf holly, maple tree, and forsythia. We also did lots of weeding and trimming - looks good. We always laugh when our well-to-do neighbors drive by multiple times staring as we work our tails off. It gives them something to talk about while they sit inside watching their landscapers.

Here's another portion of the fun:

Last night, we finished our labor in time to go to the local high school football game. Our neighbor is a starting senior, and the girls had fun cheering him on.

Fun Friday night game under the lights...

Now I'm wiped out! I'm not sure if it's my bad cold, overexerting myself, reacquainting my self with my Jillian Micheals DVD, or PMS - a bad combo for sure! I'm off to go play "Set" game with Ryan and the girls.

Rec Soccer

2009-09-26T18:40:00.003-04:00

Emma has been playing some awesome soccer this fall! I'm telling you, we didn't even know she had it in her! She is leading her team and scoring most of the goals. Today, she really wanted to try playing in goal, but her coach told her she needed her in center forward. Amazing! We love seeing God's hand in the whole travel soccer drama. He knew that this would be a better fit for her, and we are loving watching her grow! Here are a few shots from today. She's #2 - purple team, otherwise known as the one who's always running the ball toward the goal! :)

Time For a Mid-Day Tooth Cleaning

2009-09-21T12:55:00.001-04:00

I just kissed Lila, and she said, "Your breath stinks ..... (pause) .....like a port-a-potty."

Nice. I can't make this stuff up.

Lila's Turn

2009-09-14T16:21:00.004-04:00

Today was the first day of Pre-K for Lila - very exciting! She's had mixed emotions all sumer, but once Emma started, she was ready to go and asked everyday if it her first day yet. We purposely didn't talk much about it yesterday, as Lila tends to shut down if you make a big deal over her. At bedtime, I said, "You know you have school tomorrow?"
"Yes, Mom," was her overly calm response. She wasn't nervous last night or this morning - all smiles over breakfast and getting ready.

When we walked in the room it was a different story. Lila hid behind my legs and wouldn't look at anyone. She wouldn't even take a squirt of Purell from her teacher, and Lila loves Purell! After about five minutes, her pal Kate came in, and that made a huge difference. They played and didn't even care when I went to the parents' meeting. She had a great time and didn't want to leave when I came back for her.

Tomorrow is the first real day, so we'll see how that goes. Her teachers still think she's a shy, frightened, fragile little girl. ;)

Yum - pancakes on the special plate!

Does she look nervous to you?!

Ready to go in...

Yeah! Kate is here!

Busy ironing for some new friends