One Day At A Time

Fall Fest Fun

2011-10-10T08:13:00.002-04:00

After weeks of rain and ugly weather, we are lucky enough to be in a time of Indian Summer. We took advantage of the beautiful weather to do some fall fun with the kids this past weekend. A farm on my way to work has been advertising a fall festival for awhile, and while I didn't think it would be a huge event, it was close and it was cheap, so we decided to check it out. I'm so glad we did; the kids (and Dan and I) had a blast! For $15 total, we got to do a petting zoo, a corn maze, and probably the longest hayride I've ever been on. After the hayride, we let the kids pick their own pumpkins. Some pictures from our day:

Owen petting the goat. For whatever

reason, he always wanted to pet the animals

right near their butts.

Emily petting the cow. These animals were so

laid-back! The only one that really wasn't was

the donkey. He ended up licking Emily's

head, which she couldn't stop laughing about.

In the corn maze....we let the kids determine which

paths we took. I'm pretty sure they

got their dad's (terrible) sense of direction.

Cedar Point/Great Wolf Lodge

2011-08-23T05:53:00.003-04:00

At some point last winter, Dad emailed Jason and I and asked if we'd like to do a vacation in the summer to an amusement park. Since it's very rare that I get to hang out with my brother and my dad at the same time, I was all for it. We chose Cedar Point since it seemed like a good meeting place somewhere in the middle of Indiana and Pennsylvania (Dad got the short end of the stick with driving).

Jason found the Great Wolf Lodge while we were on the phone one night discussing hotel options. By the time we ended our conversation, we'd booked the rooms and I was really excited to see what the fuss was about with this resort.

Here's a picture from our balcony. We overlooked what could be considered the highlight of staying here...the indoor waterpark. The entire building to the left housed waterslides and pools...we spent an entire day there!

The first day, we went to Cedar Point amusement park. It was awesome...so many rollercoasters! Because we were all with kids, we didn't end up getting on as many rides as I would have liked, but we did hit some amazing coasters. I ended up chickening out for the very last one...too much time spent thinking about it...so Jen and I indulged in milkshakes while Dan, Jason, and Dad rode it. Maybe we'll get back out there at some point, and I will find the courage to do it :)

The best part of the trip was seeing the kids interact. Emily and Owen don't see their cousins much, but when they do, it's like they see them all the time! Emily is enamored with Isabelle...she wants to do everything Isabelle does. She also seemed to "adopt" Schuyler as her baby brother, while Owen and Isabelle really hit it off.

The second day we spent at the waterpark. I didn't know how the kids would like it since they'd never been on waterslides before. Well, I need not have worried. Both of them were scurrying up and down the slides, and we all had a blast. Emily especially loved watching the bucket of water fall every so often from the water fort.

We had an amazing vacation...it was so nice to see my Dad and Shirley and my brother and his family and just spend some time with them. While the drive out and back seemed endless (a toddler and a preschooler have to pee an amazing number of times on a drive with limited rest stops), it was definitely worth it!

Summertime...and the livin's easy

2011-07-26T19:29:00.002-04:00

Summer is my very favorite time of year. It's always been that way. I have a summer birthday, school is out, and it's light until late into the evening. Things just seem a lot more relaxed in the summer, and I absolutely love the weather. So...some things we've done so far with our summer!

The beach is my favorite place to be, but Dan has not been to Ocean City except for a couple of occasions (and one of those was in the winter). So, he and I took a mini vacation over an extended July 4th weekend sans kiddos. It was so wonderful! We loved our hotel (The Dunes Manor), we were relaxed, we had fun, and the weather was gorgeous. The only negative that occurred was somehow I caught strep throat, so by our last night, I was feeling pretty terrible. But, up until then, I was LOVING our getaway; we're hoping to do it again next year.

The kids got to spend a lot of time with their grandparents. Dan's parents came to visit in July and stayed for a long weekend. My dad and Shirley came up the following weekend for a wedding, and while the kids only got to spend an hour or two with them, they certainly made the most of it! I'm pretty sure dad was sore the day after hoisting the kids up and down repeatedly on what they fondly referred to as "The Ride".

We've also spent time at my mom and Ron's house, specifically in the pool. Both kids have really taken to swimming this year. Emily and Owen both will swim unassisted with their swimmies, and they will both jump off the side of the pool and swim to the steps. It's amazing how fast they learned!

This summer has been a bit different for me since I don't have the usual time off work. This spring semester, I filled in once again in the guidance office, so I owed ten additional days after the end of school. This time, however, the other counselor decided not to do her ten days prior to school starting either, so I am taking those as well. That means I only get about 4 weeks of summer vacation, and it's been broken up throughout July and some of August. I love the counseling job, though, so I don't mind too much...although come August 24th, I return to the English classroom once more.

Emily's 4th Birthday

2011-05-18T19:31:00.002-04:00

It's hard to believe that Emily is already 4! We celebrated her birthday on Mother's Day with family and friends. Some pics of the day...

Emily, Jordyn, and Colton ready to dig into the cake!

Opening presents...she got so much wonderful stuff!

Em's into Minnie Mouse at the moment, so her party had to have a Minnie Mouse theme.

Easter 2011

2011-05-15T19:46:00.001-04:00

Some pictures of Easter this year!

Owen's 2nd Birthday

2011-05-08T08:26:00.003-04:00

I know it's about a month and a half overdue, but here are some pictures from Owen's 2nd birthday. For the second year in a row, we had very nice, warm weather. We weren't outside this year (hopefully by next year we'll have a deck!), but the new house proved to be big enough to hold everyone.

Owen had a blast opening gifts, although he didn't understand the concept of opening one after the other. He wanted to play with each one in between!

Owen's newest obsession is trains. We accidentally discovered this around Christmas when, on a whim, I found a little Thomas train to throw in his stocking. Well, some of his first words were "Choo, Choo!"

Grandma and Grandpa Koons made the trip up from North Carolina, and the kids loved that they stayed with us. Every night, Emily would ask if grandma and grandpa were going to sleep at our house. Now that the kids are older, it doesn't matter that they don't see these grandparents all the time...they know who they are! Although, since I do know that a certain grandpa reads this, I should stress that the kids would be even more excited if they lived in PA :)

I'm Back!

2011-04-17T19:41:00.002-04:00

This week was my first week back in the guidance office, and I'm loving it! While I had good kids this semester, there is no describing the weight that has lifted off my shoulders now that I don't have to spend my weekends doing lesson plans and grading. I work hard during the day, but when I leave, I'm finished with work until the next day. And I love the people I work with each and every day. I can't wait for this to someday become my permanent gig...until then, I'll just enjoy the respite from the classroom.

The family that inks together...

2011-03-25T17:02:00.002-04:00

Dan was completely tattoo free until about a month ago. He never had much of an interest in them. But...I'm pretty sure he was jealous of my ink with the kids' initials. So...he decided to get the kids' names put on him. The result:

And I just wanted to add to my collection...so last night I had this put on the back of my neck. Means "family". Not sure I'm done for good, but I guess I will be done for awhile now.

Healthy Days Ahead?

2011-03-07T22:13:00.002-05:00

Many of you know the struggle Dan has had with his health. Two years ago, he was diagnosed with Crohn's disease (after having an ulcerative colitis diagnosis for almost a decade). He has been through so many tests, he's tried several different medicines, and in November he had surgery to remove part of his colon and intestine. Still, nothing seemed to help.

Cut to today - a new doctor suggested he see a specialist at UMMC. After enduring rush-hour traffic into Baltimore and several hours with several different doctors and a dietician, I am extremely hopeful that we will finally find the right therapies to help Dan live a "normal" life. We go back next Thursday so Dan can have yet another colonoscopy, but this time, it seems like the doctor is ready to be aggressive with different treatments and options. Also, Dan is, for the first time since I've known him, not taking any oral meds. He will continue on his infusions, but the medicine that cost us so much each month out-of-pocket (but didn't really help him) is a thing of the past, at least for now.

While this disease is Dan's, I can't help but be excited because it affects all of us as well. I'm excited to see (let's be honest...meet) the Dan who is not tired or worn out from dealing with this daily. Keep your fingers crossed for him that his tests go well, and he is on the road to recovery!

2011-02-06T21:05:00.002-05:00

So...what is that little speck to the left? Why, none other than a kidney stone. I had the pleasure of dealing with this issue again this weekend. Almost five years ago I went to the ER sure I had something very wrong. I couldn't stand up I was in so much pain, and I wasn't sure what was happening. This time around, I knew. The back pain, the cramps that got consistently worse, and the overwhelming urge to pee...it brought it all back. So, I procured some pain meds (I refuse to tell how...apparently it's a federal law not to give them out to those they're not prescribed to) and began peeing into a strainer. Sometime late last night, I saw what I thought was sand...turns out, those little granules were responsible for all my pain. I'm hoping I can go at least another 5 years until dealing with these annoying stones again.

Snow Fun

2011-01-28T07:41:00.002-05:00

With all the snow we've gotten recently, it seemed like a good time to let the kids go out and burn off some energy. This was really Owen's first time, since last year he was too small to go out in the blizzards we got (I think the snow was taller than he was!)

Sledding is now one of Emily's favorite activities. We have a hill in the backyard they went down, although once the deck is on the house, the hill will be gone.

Emily's other favorite snow activity? Making snow angels! I'm not sure where she learned about this...probably school...but she just threw herself down and said, "Mommy, I'm making an angel!" Too cute.

Snow Day!

2011-01-27T07:39:00.001-05:00

At the beginning of the week, they predicted we MIGHT get an inch or so from this storm. I'd say they were very wrong :)

Surgery update

2010-12-31T10:21:00.002-05:00

As most who read this know, I had surgery December 27th. While I knew I'd be in some discomfort, I still had big plans to do some painting and grading over my week-long break. I guess I underestimated the "discomfort" because I got a whole lot of nothing done. However, I'm happy to report that every day I feel a bit better, I'm back to being able to lift the kids, and I expect to be 100% in a couple more days (just in time to return to work!)

Christmas Night

2010-12-28T22:38:00.002-05:00

After a morning filled with sugar and presents and a very long nap (for all of us), we headed to mom's to continue the Christmas fun. Aunt Helaina and Uncle Ron once again got the kids some nice loud presents :) Owen got a scooter that makes all kinds of fun noises, and Emily got her very own thousand piece band! Owen enjoyed playing the triangle:

Then moved on to banging the xylophone while Emily took her turn with the triangle:
Auntie Amber stopped by for a visit. Both kids love hanging out with Amber, and she made fast friends with Emily when she gave her some books.

Owen was obviously enamored too!
Later, Dan and Amber practiced their figure skating routine on mom's floors. For anyone who hasn't experienced the terror of mom's waxed floors...be glad. They have been the site of many an accident, including some stair falls (seriously...who waxes wooden stairs???)

Christmas Morning

2010-12-28T22:31:00.002-05:00

Santa definitely arrived at our house!

Santa's gift to the kids was a kitchen. The two of them seem obsessed with household chores, and Emily loved playing with the kitchen at the dentist's office, so Santa knew this gift would go over well. It even has a grill so Owen can cook just like Daddy!

The mountain of presents for the kids seemed neverending!

Enjoying some donuts from their Christmas stockings...the first hits of a day long sugar high that would be driving me crazy by the end of the night!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-26T23:28:00.002-05:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year! I love Christmas time, and this year was one of the best in recent memory. Christmas Eve was almost how I remember it as a kid...lots of family, very loud, and completely fun! After church, mom, Ron, Grandma, Aunt Sharon, Uncle Art, Matthew, and Holly came over to celebrate with us.

Emily and Owen opened their presents from Aunt Sharon and Uncle Art. While Owen was the one who got the drill (and safety goggles), Emily is the one who says SAFETY FIRST! She modeled the goggles so everyone could see how stylish safety could be.

Owen and Emily both love their aunt, and Owen gave plenty of hugs!

Grandma made her traditional brisket (yum...why do we only get this once a year???).
Owen posed in his Christmas Eve outfit...he's such a handsome little man.

And Emily looked beautiful in her sparkly dress and shoes. She's practicing her "cute" pose.

1st Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

2010-12-13T08:36:00.003-05:00

This year, we decided to throw a Christmas party. It morphed into an ugly Christmas sweater party, and it was so much fun, I think we'll end up doing it every year! Some pictures....

Dan (who won third place) and I

Leesa (whose Christmas cactus sweater garnered her 2nd place) and her husband Shane
The Resetars and Fortinos...the boys plugged themselves in! Mike created the sweatshirts, which had actual ladies under each "Ho".
The Resetar/Fortino girls...so cute!
Team English!

Rocky Ridge Lights!

2010-12-13T08:24:00.003-05:00

This year, we decided to head to Rocky Ridge to see the Christmas lights. We took mom and Ron along with us and had an amazing time! Emily was really into the lights and the entire experience this year. Poor Owen spent most of his time in the buggy, but we're hoping next year he's ready to love the lights just as much as Em did.

Mom and Ron showing off the kids:

Emily with Santa. She's still not sure of him, but she was brave enough to go up and ask him for the only thing she says when we ask what she wants: a unicorn Pillow Pet!
She could barely stay on the trail she was so excited about the lights.
Owen...not so much. But he had fun anyway, I think.
Em insisted on giving hugs to certain displays. Frosty almost fell over after her affections!

We like to Potty...

2010-11-19T13:23:00.000-05:00

Or at least, we'd like Emily to like to potty. We've been doing potty training hardcore this week. It's time. It's ridiculous. It's embarrassing. She simply doesn't want to use the potty. We've tried other tricks, we've had mediocre success, so this week, we bit the bullet. Our little lady is wearing panties, and I am doing laundry every night.

Yesterday was our best day so far...only one accident. Today didn't start off well. All the poop she's been holding in this week came out. Not in the potty :(

I'm hoping that this will be over soon, and I can look back in a week or so and think, "man, that wasn't too bad." Here's to hoping.

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

2010-11-13T21:38:00.002-05:00

An actual conversation with Emily tonight:

Emily: Christmas is coming soon!

Me: Yep! Santa Claus will be here soon! He'll want to know if you're a good girl.

Emily: You tell Santa Claus I'm good. Tell him I stay in my bed.

Dan: Do you stay in your bed, Emily?

Emily: Noooooo. You tell him I do.

Quick Update

2010-11-07T19:23:00.001-05:00

After only 3 nights in the hospital, Dan came home to us. I think part of the reason for the early release was because he drove the nurses crazy the last night...couldn't sleep, needed a fan, then an ice pack...they were ready for him to go :)

He's doing well...eating regular food for the most part and dealing with the pain well. He has some time off work to fully recover, and I've gotta say, I'm going to be a little jealous when I leave for work in the mornings and he's tucked in cozy in bed!

Surgery Time

2010-11-04T21:08:00.003-04:00

I apologize for taking so long to get more pictures and whatnot up here. The past few weeks have been busy...3 weddings in October, Halloween, and now Dan't surgery. I promise to keep up better once he's home!

Yesterday Dan went in for an open bowel resection. Basically, they cut out the right side of his colon and about 2 feet of small intestine, then joined up the remaining "stuff". This is supposed to get rid of the part that was very diseased from his Crohn's disease. We're hopeful that he can stop living in pain and discomfort and start living a more normal life.

Dan's doing well, all things considered. Yesterday after surgery he was in quite a bit of pain, which I think he expected, but I don't think he realized how much it would hurt. He also dealt with nausea that came and went. Luckily, today was better. He was up and walking, he felt better, and his pain wasn't as bad. He's still on ice water for his meals (yep, just ice water) and he had an unfortunate catheter removal experience that gives him the shudders to retell, but overall, it was a good day.

On my end, I now realize that I do not have what it takes to be a single mother :) Being in charge of both kids is exhausting and sometimes downright impossible. My mom has been helping out a ton, which I'm so grateful for, but there have still been tears shed from all three Bilodeaus.

We're hoping Dan gets out of the hospital in the next few days...it all depends how well his body does at taking other liquids and foods. While he still will be out of commission once he's home, I miss just having him around and can't wait for him to be back with us!

New York State of Mind

2010-10-10T22:42:00.003-04:00

The first weekend in October, Dan and I went to New York City for two nights. The occasion? One of my friends from Elizabethtown was getting married; it's the only time the four original Etown girls seem to find time to get together, so Dan and I decided to go up early and make a weekend out of it. After battling traffic to get there Friday evening, we checked into our hotel and went to dinner. I must talk about the dinner. I have dubbed it BDE: Best Dinner Ever. The salad...to die for. The main course (baked shrimp with mashed potatoes, some weird corn sauce, and spinach)...amazing. I was so full, but I ate the entire thing...it was honestly one of the best dinners I've ever had in my life.

So Saturday, after recovering from BDE, we hit the sightseeing. Here I am in F.A.O. Schwartz, where I was in love with all the Wizard of Oz stuff. Couldn't resist posing with both the good and bad witches...

Dan and I had croissants in Central Park, then wandered around for a bit. The best part that we discovered was this pond area...so beautiful in the middle of the city!

The restaurant where BDE occurred (Sequoia if you're interested in finding it) overlooks the water and the Brooklyn Bridge. So pretty!

Our hotel looked directly out onto ground zero. We were literally right next to it. In fact, when we checked in, our desk guy told us that construction happens 24/7, so we may need ear plugs or a white noise machine. While they were doing construction, there wasn't any demolition, and it didn't bother us. We were mesmerized, though, by what was happening. Here is the WTC building going up...they were up to 34 stories while we were there.
This is the area with the reflecting pools...the pools are basically the foundation areas of the former towers. The entire thing is very sobering, and it's amazing how quickly the area around this has been built back up.

As for the actual wedding...well, I have no pictures. I forgot my camera at the hotel. However, it was beautiful, it was fun, and the four of us aren't sure how we're going to get together again since we're now all married :)

York Fair

2010-09-19T20:59:00.002-04:00

So one of the things I look forward to in fall is the York Fair. I love the smell of funnel cakes and Italian sausage sandwiches, I love people watching...I even love looking at the fruits and veggies in the Horticulture Hall. There was only one downside to the fair this year...the new birthing center. While I don't want to get into the horror I witnessed by complete accident, I will simply say that the miracle of birth is best left to my imagination. No one needs to see that stuff up close and personal.

So...some pics of our 2nd trip to the fair this year with mom, Ron, and Grandma...

Owen and Dan were twinsies :)
Mom got off easy...at the Dover Carnival, she and Emily rode this slide easily 15 times.
The best part of the day...Grandma decides she's going to throw darts. Even though she has never done this before, she shows no fear...

And her first throw lands her this prize for her cat! LOVE how excited she was about winning!

Missing You

2010-09-05T22:20:00.003-04:00

Today was the one year anniversary of my grandpa's passing. I still miss him a lot, and this weekend was especially difficult with memories. I'm reminded of him all the time, especially when I think about what a kick he'd get out of his great-grandkids. In the short time he knew them, he became a different person, and I know he's still watching over them and marveling at how they grow. Miss you and love you, Grandpa.

Back to School

2010-09-03T22:59:00.002-04:00

It's that time of year again...back to school. This year I returned to the English classroom, which I've been dreading ever since my first day in the guidance office. I loved my job so much last year, and the year before, I'd had an awful time in the classroom, so saying I wasn't looking forward to returning to the classroom is an understatement.

It's been...interesting. In some ways, it's like I never left. I sort've fell right back into the routine, and that's been okay. In other ways, I feel like I've been gone forever. It's been just about 18 months since I've taught. Last year I was a guidance counselor, and the year before, I left in March to have Owen. So I feel super behind and overwhelmed in some aspects, especially the technology I'm now supposed to use. But...I'm thankful I work with such awesome people and friends; they've really helped me out.

My classes aren't terrible either. Two of the three are really fun to deal with...and the other is a bit more challenging, but nothing like what I had in fall 2008. So, while my ultimate goal is to get back to the guidance department, I now know I'll survive.

On a completely unrelated note, I got some new ink.

Since Em was born, and even more after I had Owen, I've considered getting their initials tattooed on me. It's been about 6 years since my brother last did anything on me, and I was more than a little nervous. But, after thinking about it long and hard for awhile, and after a push that came in the form of one of my good friends braving the tattoo needle, I decided to go for it. So...the kids are now permanently a part of my skin :) And the most surprising of all was how much this location DIDN'T hurt. Nothing like my lower back, at least!

Hitting the Playa

2010-08-27T19:33:00.002-04:00

I'm a beach girl. Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows I love going down the shore. Back in my single, child-free days, I used to hit Ocean City to see Amber quite a few times during the year. Before that, I'd head to Avalon with my college roommate. However, in Mexico, we hung by the pool. The storms from a few years ago have made the beach unacceptable to me. Well, maybe not the beach as much as the ocean. The beach had beautiful beds and umbrellas and soft white sand. But the water...oh, the water. The sea grass that is in the water is plentiful, to put it mildly. The resort rakes the beach several times a day, and they do their best, but it's just floating there. If you aren't skeeved out by the sea grass wrapping around your ankles and hanging from your hair, there is the ocean bottom to trick you. For about 2 feet, it's sandy. Suddenly, your unsuspecting feet are torn to shreds by the rocks which continue on the bottom until you're way out. Still, Dan and I braved the ocean for the following pictures. Be grateful :)

This is looking in from the ocean. Notice those beautiful umbrellas! The big building in the background houses 2 open air restaurants: The Lobster House and The Grill.

This pier looks out into the ocean, and apparently there are weddings held on it. We didn't see one wedding the entire time we were there, which was a change from our times in Jamaica where we saw several every day.

You can see the sea grass that has washed up on the beach. This is very minimal. Trust me when I say that as we walked the beach and passed areas where resorts didn't rake (or where there were no resorts) this stuff was enough to build entire villages.

Hola Mexican Michael Jackson!

2010-08-22T21:49:00.003-04:00

For anyone who's been at an all-inclusive before, you know that the evening entertainment is not usually as fun as one would hope. We've gone to two different resorts prior to this one, and both times, the nighttime entertainment left us a bit disappointed, or confused, or both. Before going to this resort, we heard the Michael Jackson tribute show was amazing and should not be missed. So...after a night of international dancing (which was pretty lame...sorry) and a night of watching Grease reenacted (which was better, if only b/c the guy playing the sidekick was giving 200%), we had higher hopes for MJ.

We watched a 15 minute video first detailing his life growing up through music. Then...suddenly...Mexican Michael Jackson! This impersonator was crazy good...I was blown away. He had the dance moves down, he "sang" the songs perfectly...it was just mesmerizing. So...some pictures:

He ended the show with "Thriller". Right afterwards, the annoying MC rattled off God knows what in Spanish, and at the very end, we heard that the cast would stick around for 5 minutes for pictures. My butt was out of the seat before Dan knew what was happening :) So...the picture I'm most proud of from the entire vacation (if only the little worker girl taking it would have zoomed...): our pic with Mexican Michael Jackson.
And I will add this...when I was little, I wanted to marry Michael Jackson (don't judge me). This moment, although I knew he was just an impersonator, put a smile on my face for hours afterwards.

Excellence Riviera Cancun

2010-08-21T19:15:00.002-04:00

From August 6-13, Dan and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary a little early in Riviera Maya Cancun. We stayed at the Excellence Riviera Cancun resort, and it was completely amazing! All we did was relax...no worries...and it was the best week we've had in a long time. Of course there are tons of pictures, but I figured I'd try to post them in some sort of category to make looking at them easier.

This is a view from our balcony in the evening:

And the same view in the daytime:
We got an oceanview room, which was so wonderful...we looked over 2 of the 6 pools, and the ocean was behind that. Definitely happy we did the upgrade...it was so amazing to wake up each day to this!

This is on the other side of our room (the door side). Pools and lazy rivers wound through the property. We always laid at the main pool since we liked the music and activity there, but there were many other quieter pools throughout.

And this is where we relaxed every day...under our very own palapa. Not sure what we'd have done if someone got "our" spot before us, but luckily Dan's an early riser, even on vacation, so he'd make sure we had our area :)

Would we go here again? I think definitely. Although...the resort chain has 2 other properties (one in Mexico, one in Dominican Republic) and they're building one in Jamaica, so we may try one somewhere else. More to come!

Brookgreen Gardens Part 2

2010-08-03T19:11:00.002-04:00

Some more pictures from Brookgreen Gardens...

While waiting for the shuttle, the kids (and dad) got a bit bored. Ignoring the crazy heat and humidity, dad decided it would be a good idea to take the kids on "rides" in a buggy type contraption that was sitting nearby.

Both kids and dad were all smiles, however, I think dad breathed a sigh of relief when that shuttle finally showed up :)

Emily decided to be an Alligator Hunter...

Brookgreen Gardens Part I

2010-07-25T22:22:00.002-04:00

On Sunday, we all traveled down to the Myrtle Beach area. First stop? Brookgreen Gardens. Dad talks about this place all the time...how great it is, how pretty it is, etc. I've never really been to botanical gardens (unless the Swamp Gardens in Charleston count), so I wasn't sure what we were in for. Well, it lived up to the hype. Even in the hottest weather and worst humidity ever, it was amazing. I absolutely loved it. And...if Amber's game, this is where she will be getting married :)

A teepee in the Children's Garden:

Owen chilling on a low branch:

A butterfly I caught...I can't believe I actually got the shot!

My favorite fountain in the entire place: it's statues of the Muses - each represent a type of art.

Holden Beach

2010-07-24T19:39:00.002-04:00

Since dad lives about 5 minutes from the beach, it's always something we do several times while we're visiting. However, it's way different going to the beach when you've got two kids and two tons of their gear to tote along!

Day number 1 at the beach was just Amber and I. I have to say, I am pretty proud of the way we got everything down to the beach in one trip. We'll forget about the fact that poor Owen was clinging onto Amber for dear life as he slipped further and further down...no one fell, and that was an accomplishment. We did realize, however, that we aren't very adept at putting up a beach umbrella. Luckily, the beach there doesn't get very crowded; it took off in a gust of wind and wound up mangled beyond recognition.

The other day we spent at the beach we had Dad and Shirley to help, so things went even more smoothly! The kids loved playing in both the ocean and the sand. One thing I will never get used to...sand in all areas of my body from having them crawl all over me. Some pictures of our time at the beach:

Owen playing it up

Emily hard at work
Owen's first real time "jumping" waves
This girl couldn't get enough of the ocean
Dad and Shirley with the little man

North Carolina - In the Beginning

2010-07-23T19:23:00.003-04:00

The kids, Amber, and I spent July 15-20 in North Carolina with Dad and Shirley. Amber came along to help me out with the kids, since Dan thought he was out of vacation days. Thank goodness she did...I don't think I could have made the drive or stayed sane during the trip without her!

We got started a bit later than I first planned...8:00 Thursday morning. By mile 61, Emily had thrown up in the car. So disgusting. The sad part? She warned us, but I figured it was just her being silly (sometimes she likes to pretend she's sick). Minutes later, we were in the vomit-mobile. Other than that incident, our drive was pretty fun. Amber and I got to see the booming metropolis of Mineral, Virginia, and we met these fun guys at a gas station in North Carolina.

The best, though, was in Mt. Olive, NC. Where else would you see a gigantic (and I do mean gigantic) billboard asking: Could you have SYPHILIS? I think we almost crashed while we did double and triple takes! The town mascot, Seymour Johnson (and I'm NOT making that name up) would have been proud :)

The kids, for their part, did a great job on the 10.5 hour ride. They entertained themselves and each other by playing with an empty bag and empty water bottles. Their favorite activity, by far, was sucking on their toes and screaming with glee. This was my favorite activity:

We arrived in Supply, NC stiff and tired, but ready to have lots of fun. More to come soon!

Owen's 15 month stats

2010-07-03T07:04:00.003-04:00

Owen hit the doctor's office Thursday for his 15 month checkup. He seems huge to me in comparison to Emily, so I was excited to see his stats. He now weighs 21 pounds 12 ounces, which only puts him in the 15th percentile for weight. Crazy, since the kid eats CONSTANTLY and will eat anything. It's actually sort've amazing how much he eats. But, the doctor says he's on the light side, so to keep giving him whole milk to fatten him up :) In length, he's 32 inches, which puts him in the 77th percentile for height. Looks like we have another tall skinny kid, although Emily stopped with being so tall for her age about a year ago.

He also got three vaccines, which for the first time I was nervous about. I don't know if it's all the reading I've been doing about supposed reactions from vaccines, or because he's a boy and I worry more about autism with a boy than a girl, but I did think about asking the doctor to spread the vaccines out. Then I remembered that Emily was fine, and most recent research doesn't see a link between vaccines and autism, so I just let them do the vaccines on schedule. So far, he's been a champ...no fever, no fussiness...just his smiley self.

Little Mermaid

2010-07-02T19:19:00.002-04:00

We took advantage of the super warm weather to head over to mom and Ron's pool last Saturday with the kids. While Owen took a nap, Emily donned her new swim vest and got braver and braver! She was jumping for what seemed like hours on end - she'd jump in (going under the water!), then swim to the steps, get out, and jump again. I hope to get her into swimming lessons this fall or winter to help her improve her swimming basics, but for now, I'll just continue having fun catching her.

The next day, we had stuff to do around our house, but the kids still got to have some water fun. We set up the pool in the front yard, and they had a ball while we worked on hanging flower baskets and doing other yard maintenance.

Adios for now!

2010-06-30T18:54:00.001-04:00

Today marked my last day as a guidance counselor, and although I'm starting summer break officially tomorrow, I'm pretty sad I won't be returning to that job next year. It's back to teaching English for me, since the counselor who was out on maternity leave is coming back. I am hoping to return to guidance eventually, but for now, I suppose I simply have to be thankful for the experience and the break from the classroom.

Picture Time!

2010-06-20T19:25:00.002-04:00

We spent our Father's Day getting some pictures of the kids. Emily was due for her 3-year-old pictures. What I most hoped we'd get, however, were some pictures of the kids together. The last time they posed and cooperated together was last year when Em was 2 and Owen was only 3 months. Even then, the shot we got of them was a total accident...it sort've looked like she was kissing him, although I think she was actually trying to chew on his ear. So...we had high hopes for today. With some thought put into the scheduling time and fruit snacks as bribes (yep, I resorted to that), we got some decent pictures. Enjoy!

More pictures

2010-06-20T19:24:00.000-04:00

Picture Time (even more!)

2010-06-20T19:22:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day

2010-06-10T19:24:00.002-04:00

Memorial Day weekend was a fun-filled weekend. Not only did we get together with the regular family members we hang out with, but because my niece and nephew both had birthdays within a week of Memorial Day, my brother and his family and my dad and stepmom came to town. Just a couple pictures of my family...

Dan and grandma hung by the pool. We did get in for a little...thanks to a solar cover and my mom and Ron's impatience in the pool-opening time, the water was actually pretty warm.

Emily LOVES hanging out with her cousin, Isabelle. They are a year apart, so Emily looks up to her and wants to do everything that she does. Sometimes this is good (like whenever Isabelle had to go potty). Sometimes it's enough to drive me crazy, but it's cute nonetheless. They were lying on the hammock together after a rough day of picnic-ing and swimming.

Hold Me Closer Tiny Dancer

2010-05-25T19:32:00.001-04:00

Does this little lady remind you of a certain flamboyant British singing sensation? Yep, it's the glasses. You should have seen the dance that accompanied this outfit!

Emily's 3rd Birthday

2010-05-21T18:04:00.002-04:00

Emily's party was held May 8th, and although it wasn't as warm outside as we'd hoped (no swimming!), we all still had a very nice time. The party was relatively small, but Emily still had a lot of fun, especially when her friends Jordyn and Colton showed up!

This is a gift from Aunt Sharon and Megan...while they were in Texas, they found the skirt and wings, and they packed them into their bags and bought them back to Pennsylvania via Colorado :) Em loved prancing around in her little tutu and wings!

Emily had been swinging between a Dora party and a Tinkerbell party. We finally settled on a Dora party. But, again, the move messed up the best-laid plans, and we couldn't find Dora invitations in time. Luckily Emily also likes princesses, so a Princess Party it was!

In addition to the cake, Emily's Grandma Sipe felt she also needed cupcakes (Em had asked for them a few days before). So...the kids all got to blow out a candle, and all the kids got to have too much icing :)
Dan and I got Emily a slide, and we set it up in mom's yard to surprise her. Of course, we forgot to do this before she did a costume change from her purple fairy outfit to her heart jammies that Grandma and Grandpa Koons got her. She couldn't get enough of the slide. I personally don't see the fun in continuously going up and down, but it seems to entertain her just fine.

Owen's Birthday

2010-05-21T17:56:00.002-04:00

I feel terrible that this post didn't get written sooner. It's been over 2 months since Owen turned one, but between both kids' birthdays, the craziness of moving, and everything else, it kept getting pushed to the back burner.

We were lucky enough that on Owen's actual birthday, March 20th, it was unseasonably warm. Temperatures in the 70's/80's warm. So that day we decided to move everything outside, and it was perfect. Owen's party had a jungle animal theme. Here are his cakes:

We had quite a turnout...Dan's mom and brother came down from Massachusetts, and my dad and Shirley drove up from North Carolina. Add all the local family that came, and we had a really nice time. Owen was a bit less hesitant with the cake than his big sister was when she was one...he dug right in!
Owen got lots of very nice gifts, and there was even a gift for him and his sister to share...
their very own wagon! We've taken it for walks, and it helped out when at the street fair this year too. Now that the weather is warmer, we'll be using it quite a lot!
It's tough to believe that my little baby is getting so old already!

We're In!

2010-04-18T21:33:00.001-04:00

I will update soon with Owen's first birthday pics, Easter pics, and moving day info...but for now, we're in. There are hundreds of boxes (or at least it seems like that many) waiting to be unpacked, and we have no clue where most of our stuff is, but we have our beds set up, enough unpacked to live daily life, and we're happy. This house is truly a blessing, and I can't wait to get things put away and make it ours.

Suspected...and Now Confirmed

2010-04-08T18:56:00.003-04:00

So I officially have diabetes. It was suspected since 2 summers ago when I went in for my one year check after having Emily. The sugars came back high, but unknown to me at the time, I was already pregnant with Owen. So...I went through gestational diabetes for a second time, was introduced to the world of insulin injections, and kept my fingers crossed it would go away after I had the little guy.

Well, it hasn't. I am unfortunately one of the women who develop type 2 diabetes after having gestational diabetes. It's a lifelong diagnosis, which is disappointing and makes me sad, but it is something I can control. Now, with my doctor's advice, some medicine, and much support from my family and friends, I'm trying to get my sugars under control. Step one is definitely losing all the weight I've put on since meeting (and getting TOO comfortable with) Dan. Step two is taking some medication to help lower my sugars. And step three is saying goodbye (or at least see you later) to some of my favorite sugar-laden and carb packed foods.

I used to do really well with controlling things when I was pregnant because I knew I had to do it for the little peanut growing inside of me. I don't take care of myself as well now that it's just me. But, I'm trying to look at it differently: my kids need me around, so I need to do what I can to ensure that I stay healthy so I can be around for as long as possible.

Rose Colored Glasses?

2010-04-07T18:27:00.002-04:00

Nope, just a friendly dose of pink eye for Emily, Owen, and me. So far, Dan has been spared, but his hands may be worse for the wear since he's been washing them every 5 minutes or so. Signs began popping up a week or two ago at daycare. They simply stated that there was a case of pink eye, but neither case was in Emily's or Owen's room, so I didn't think much of it. When Em woke up with swollen eyes Saturday, I blamed it on allergies. After all, the trees blooming and sudden warm weather (and open windows) had caused my allergies to flare up big time.

Cut to Sunday evening, when my contact felt a little weird in my right eye. By the time I woke up Monday morning, I looked like I'd taken a pretty hard punch to the face. I knew then what I'd been denying since Saturday morning....pink eye had found us. Emily and I stayed home Monday (you have to stay out of school/work for 24 hours after beginning treatment), and the call came to pick up Owen Monday afternoon. By the time we began our drops, all three of us were suffering. Dan has miraculously avoided catching the dreaded disease even though he stayed home with the kids yesterday. I, however, will be rocking my glasses at least until the end of the week.

We'll all be fine of course, but this isn't something I ever want to repeat. The itching, the swelling, the burning...all drive me crazy. But the worst part, at least for me, is trying to hold down a 1-year-old and 2-year-old several times a day to get drops into their eyes.

Photo Shoot - 1 year

2010-03-30T09:22:00.001-04:00

I love this picture...it's like he can't believe he's one year old! In reality, though, I think he was simply getting ready to chew on it.

This picture makes me smile every time...he looks like such a little man in it!

More Photos

2010-03-30T09:12:00.002-04:00

The props that the photographer wanted to use were cute, and they would have probably made really cute pictures. Unfortunately, Owen is only interested in putting such things in his mouth. It took some quick camera work to even get close to capturing the number one in his hands.

Owen's 1 Year Photo Shoot

2010-03-30T08:59:00.002-04:00

It's hard to believe my little guy is a year old. It's even harder to believe that this toddler in the photos is really my son! I don't notice the changes every day, so when I see pictures like these where he's looking like a big boy, I am startled!

So...in this one Dan calls him The Great White since he's showing off his new teeth. Maybe not the most flattering nickname, but I love this picture anyway.

This one concerns me: he looks like he is about five seconds away from doing something really bad. This is what I've dubbed his Evil Plan face.

Back to looking cute and innocent:

And this is how he lets us know he's finished with photo shoots.

One Year Ago...

2010-03-19T19:26:00.003-04:00

It's crazy to think about...one year ago, I had just heard the cries of my little baby boy. It seems like so long ago that Owen came into our lives, yet the past year has flown by. So...just a couple of pictures of what he looked like one year ago today:

Immediately after being born! I was so excited to hear him cry because I don't remember that part of Emily's birth.

Sleeping in his little bassinet. He did so well at the hospital. Slept most of the time. Of course, now that's completely different.

4 More Weeks!

2010-03-17T19:25:00.002-04:00

In only 4 short weeks, we'll be finishing up our first day of moving into our new home! Now that it's getting so close, I need to really get serious about the packing. I am trying to sell anything we won't need in the new house so we don't have to schlep everything over. Tonight Emily's baby clothes all went. It was pretty sad seeing all the cute outfits in such tiny sizes - I forgot how much I loved some of those clothes. But, it made me happy that we could help out another expecting mom by stocking up her little girl's closet.

We've also, however, been buying things. Our last big purchases were made last night. We are leaving our current washer and dryer in the house, so we bought a new front loading pair last night. I'm super excited about laundry for two reasons. First, the set we got will finally do the huge loads we seem to have and dry them in one cycle! The other reason is that our laundry area is on the second floor of the house, so it's just a hop, step, and jump away from doing the laundry to putting it away. Bye-bye two flights of stairs with heavy laundry baskets! The other big purchase excites Dan more than me. He found a television he liked, and I have to admit it's pretty nice. Our current t.v. is too big for our new family room, so it will reside in our basement when it gets finished.

If anyone gets bored and likes to pack...I'm all for helpers :)

Emergency (Or...how my kids will give me a heart attack before I'm 33)

2010-03-07T14:34:00.002-05:00

Before this past Thursday, I'd never dialed 911. My first experience was Thursday at work. Because it was at work, I can't share any details, however, I can say that it was a positive experience since all ended well (I assume).

My second experience dialing 911 was yesterday morning. I was upstairs getting ready to change Owen's diaper. Dan was trying to pack up the garage. Emily was upstairs with me. I have changed what seems to be thousands of diapers, and I've never used the strap on the changing pad. Who does? I don't leave the kids unattended, I usually have at least one hand on them...no issues. So yesterday I stood in front of Owen while I fixed the bag in his Diaper Genie. Owen chose this moment to roll, and my body stopped his feet from going over. Unfortunately, his head and shoulders did, and gravity did its thing, and Owen fell head first onto the floor.

Immediately he began screaming, which I knew was a good sign. I grabbed him and tried to comfort him, and Dan made an appearance asking what happened. Suddenly, Owen stopped crying, and his eyes started closing. I remember yelling at Dan, "What's wrong with him?" Dan grabbed him and tried to talk to him. Owen's body went limp and he began throwing up. This was easily the scariest moment in my life. Dan yelled for me to dial 911, and within minutes the ambulance was there.

Long story short, Owen was taken to trauma where he was checked out. X-rays showed no fractures, and there was no bleeding in his head. Official diagnosis: concussion. We were admitted, and the trauma doctor told us he'd be at the hospital overnight for observation. We were just glad he was going to be okay...he looked so small and helpless sleeping in his little collar. Around 6, though, we were discharged. Owen was happy and playing, and he had done much better than the doctors had anticipated, so they let us come home.

Today, it's like it never even happened...he's back to his old silly self. Even the bruise on his head that seemed like it would be so ugly yesterday isn't very bad. However, we did learn an important safety lesson: no matter how many times you've done something, don't assume that you can lose focus. I figured the many many diapers I'd changed without incident meant that I could be a bit lax when it came to having Owen on the changing table. Not so.

Caught!

2010-02-20T09:33:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday, Dan had to work, so I was home alone with the kiddos. I got up when Emily did...took her downstairs, had some breakfast, etc. Owen began talking over the monitor, and I had planned on getting him up as soon as I finished up a couple of things. As I walked back into the living room to get Emily to take upstairs so we could get Owen, I noticed she wasn't there. She wasn't in the kitchen. No Emily in the dining room either. Now I began to panic, because while Em can manage the stairs, after her fall this summer, I prefer to be there with her when she goes up and down. I ran up the stairs. Owen's bedroom door was still shut, so I checked Emily's room, our room, both bathrooms....nothing. Then I heard giggling coming over Owen's monitor. I backtracked to his room, opened the door and saw this:

Apparently, Emily decided she'd entertain Owen while I finished up downstairs. When I walked in, all of Owen's books had been piled into his crib with him. Also, I found out Emily can now open doorknobs, which is helpful to be aware of. And Owen? Loving every second of his sister's shenanigans.

Last ones (at least for now)

2010-02-12T22:55:00.002-05:00

The bedrooms are the only places where we're looking to do anything right away, and that's mainly because we have our bedding for everyone, and the paint colors that are in the rooms right now don't match.

This is going to be Emily's room. Love all the windows, but man, you should see this color in person. Instant migraine/seizure. It's bright. So...one of the first things we'll do on day one is lay on a ton of primer and paint this room. I already picked the colors to match her bedding. I figure we'll need to paint before she actually sees her room, because if she gets a glimpse of the pink, I'm afraid she'll never allow us to change it. Emily will also have her own walk-in closet, which I'm super excited about.

This room will ultimately be the spare bedroom. It's the smallest of the bedrooms, although it has a walk-in closet (don't tell Dan, but I'm planning on taking that closet over as needed). We have the furniture for the room - it's currently hanging out in Mom and Ron's spare room - but no bedding yet, so not sure what we're going to do with this room color-wise.

This room will be Owen's. The one thing I feel bad about is his closet...it's not as big as everyone else's. Dan assures me this won't matter since Owen is a boy, and he won't care about a huge closet. Still, I don't want him to feel left out. However, it was either a big spacious room with a smaller closet, or the room above which would have been smaller. We'll do this room in a tan that will go with his nursery set and his big boy bedding (and yes, I already got it, but I totally blame my jumping the gun on a fellow guidance counselor and her obsession with Pottery Barn Kids).

Monday is the home inspection, and I'm really excited for it, primarily because I want to measure windows to start ordering blinds for the bedrooms. Dan and I roughed it for a week or so when we moved into our current house with no blinds, but that is not happening with kids who will be up at the crack of dawn.

Our inspection on Weldon didn't go as well as we'd hoped...some things need to be repaired, although for the most part, they seem small. The big thing is that our radon tested higher than what is acceptable, so we do need to do something about that. The appraiser came today as well, so keeping our fingers crossed that the house will appraise for the amount of the loan.

Still can't believe the snow we got over the past week here...I haven't been to work since Tuesday! The piles feel like they're not going to melt until April, but I'm hoping that the snow is over, and I can start thinking spring soon!

More pictures...

2010-02-12T22:51:00.002-05:00

More pictures of the new house!

This is the master bath...wish I had a picture of the kids' bathroom, b/c it's much more interesting. They have a turtle motif going on in there, which isn't really my style, but since it's for the kids, it will be perfect.
Our bedroom...best parts you can't see. We have two walk in closets, which I'm so excited about. Finally I get a big closet of my very own!

The dining room...love the bay window.
The family room. The t.v. is wired to go above the fireplace, which may take some getting used to. Just seems odd, but Dan's excited about it.
Another view of the formal living room, which will be converted, at least for now, into a playroom to house the kids' toys.

The Verdict is In...

2010-02-07T18:35:00.000-05:00

WE GOT THE HOUSE!!!!

The One....Finally

2010-02-05T19:49:00.002-05:00

Who knew so much drama could happen in just a day or so? Yesterday, Dan and I found not one, but two, houses we liked. In fact, we liked both so much, we couldn't make a decision. Back and forth we debated. We knew we had to act fast if we wanted House A, because there was another offer on it (although we were told it wasn't a great one), and the owners had to answer by last night. We went over pros and cons of both House A and House B. We looked at it from all angles. And before we left our realtor late yesterday afternoon, we'd written an offer on House A. Big sigh of relief. Except....

The owners countered. Now, it wasn't about price or closing costs or anything significant. It was about master bedroom curtains, which they wanted to be sure we didn't think we'd get (we didn't want 'em) and a date that really didn't mean much at all. So late last night, Katie (best real estate agent...seriously, she's helped us through a lot) told us she'd send the new contract over, we'd sign, and we had a deal. Big sigh again, right? But...

I woke up this morning from a dream about House B. As I showered, I kept telling myself the reasons we chose House A. They were good reasons. But they were not enough to keep me from thinking about House B. So I texted Dan for backup. By the time he called me, I was in a full blown panic attack. I was convinced we'd chosen wrong. I sobbed. I couldn't breathe. It was ugly, especially before 6:30 A.M. So...I put in a cry for help to Katie.

Turns out, because the owners of House A countered, we weren't beholden to them or their house. We had an opportunity. After one long list of pros and cons, several emails and texts, and a very near nervous breakdown (me, not Dan), we made a decision. We wrote an offer on House B tonight, and we should hear back by Monday. And the panic attacks? Gone. This is our home, I'm 100% sure of it.

House Hunters, York Edition

2010-02-04T08:51:00.002-05:00

I've been waiting for today ever since last Friday (okay, probably ever since we put our house on the market). We are going later today to look at 5 houses that are definite possibilities for us. Although we've looked at houses before, we knew we couldn't do anything even if we found a super nice house, because ours had to sell first. But now...not only can we do something if we like a house, but we HAVE to do something sometime soon so we have a place to go after April 16th!

On another note, the inspection for our house happens tomorrow, so things are moving along nicely. We also have a radon meter in our basement right now, and tomorrow evening we'll find out if we have unhealthy levels. Not only do I not want to spend the money to fix radon, but I'll be a little freaked out that for 6 years, we've been living with it.

Hoping to post some pics of the houses we're considering later on...maybe one of them will be our new home!

Our Big News!

2010-01-30T11:35:00.002-05:00

WE SOLD OUR HOUSE!!!

After 3 months on the market, lots of showings but no offers, last night our realtor came over to tell us we had an offer. The offer, to put it mildly, was ridiculous. So for 2 hours we went back and forth with counter-offers. In the end, I think we did well. We didn't go below what we needed to get into a new house, and we have some time to find that next home. I'm excited, nervous, and stressed suddenly all at once! Hoping that next week we'll take a day to look at the houses we're interested in...seven at this point. But...by mid-April, no matter what, we'll be somewhere else!

Christmas pics

2010-01-16T10:56:00.002-05:00

I know I'm a little late on this, but here are just a few pictures from Christmas time!

Auntie Amber got Emily just what she wanted...a tutu and fairy wings.

Christmas seemed to be filled with Dora this year...

My super cute, super cool little guy modeling his new shades
Christmas Village, where my dad insists on journeying when he's around for the holidays. I actually enjoyed it much more this time, probably because the last time he took us there, it was blizzard conditions and ridiculously cold.

Overall, we had a wonderful holiday. Emily finally seems to "get it" this year with Santa and presents and everything else. Looking forward to next year when Owen's in the same boat.

Operation: Potty Train Day 1

2009-12-28T20:18:00.002-05:00

So since I'm home this week, I figured I might as well go all out on the potty training business. Some say Emily's too young; others, like my mom, claim I was potty trained way earlier. So I've gotten the necessary accessories: 21 pairs of big girl panties (I couldn't decide between Tinkerbell, Elmo, and princesses), Disney Princess pull-ups, and a book that has stickers and a chart.

Day 1 - Emily loves the pull-ups, loves the panties....but refuses to poop in the potty. She's done well with peeing, but we still have a long way to go. In the Potty vs. Diaper battle, the potty was definitely the loser today.

Santa's Message to Emily

2009-12-26T13:42:00.001-05:00

Copy and paste the link below to see a special message from Santa to Emily!

http://portablenorthpole.tv/watch/f7019b99fc127177a2be4bde0e9843f3

Cookie Time!

2009-12-24T10:23:00.002-05:00

Our annual cookie baking Sunday at mom's:

"Are they done yet?"

Jingle bells on her head

Dutch Winter Wonderland

2009-12-24T10:13:00.002-05:00

We usually head to Rocky Ridge County Park to check out the Christmas lights. However, this year we decided to do something different since Emily's a bit older. We took her to Dutch Wonderland, where they not only have a bunch of Christmas lights, but most of their rides are also open. We had so much fun, although we froze. It was so cold! Here are some of the photos:

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-24T09:57:00.002-05:00

Some images from our Thanksgiving (which also happened to fall on our 4 year wedding anniversary).

Owen's first Thanksgiving...he's modeling a hat Emily made at school.

Everyone getting ready to eat:

Apparently, Thanksgiving is a time for presents (at least according to my Aunt Sharon). She got the kids super cute jammies. Emily's is from The Princess and the Frog.
And Owen's is to help him on his way to becoming a racing superstar. According to Dad, he already has the perfect NASCAR name - Buddy Bilodeau.
Owen and Grandma March:

Owen's 9 month stats

2009-12-22T12:14:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Owen visited the doctor for his 9 month check-up. His official stats: 18.0 pounds, 29.5 inches. His weight gain slowed, but the doctor told me that's normal around this age as kids become more mobile and active. He's also been sick for awhile, so he isn't eating as much as he used to. We did get the okay to start him on soft, very small pieces of table food, so that will be a new adventure for him. He did great...didn't make a peep when his finger was pricked, and the nurse said he had the highest iron count she's seen for awhile.

The only downside to our visit was that he needed a breathing treatment. Owen's had a cold off and on since Thanksgiving. He developed an ear infection, and that's been treated and gone. Last week he was running a fever off and on with the cold, and he sounded very congested, so we took him back to the doctor. Again, she listened to his chest and lungs, said everything sounded fine, and we were reassured. The doctor we had yesterday listened and said she heard wheezing, which is the noise we reported back at Thanksgiving. She was concerned enough to try a breathing treatment of Albuterol with Owen to see if that helped. Five minutes of treatment (read: five minutes of me holding Owen down while the nurse held the mask to his constantly moving head) made a difference. So, now we have a nebulizer, and he is to get at least two treatments a day for a week. His bedtime treatments should be fine...there are two of us to do the required pinning of the baby and holding of the mask. However, I'm not yet sure how mornings are going to go since I'm all by myself. It will definitely be a lesson in who is strongest willed.

Here We Go Again...

2009-12-03T10:00:00.002-05:00

For anyone who has ever had a child with recurring ear infections, you know the dread that comes with the first sniffle or cough. With Emily, I knew every time she had a cold we'd be getting a call from daycare. She'd spike a high fever, and that was our cue that she had yet another ear infection. Finally, last April, she had tubes inserted in her ears, and we've been ear infection free ever since.

Well...until last weekend. Emily had a cold. Owen got the cold. Friday night the kids stayed with Mom and Ron while Dan and I celebrated our anniversary. When I called to check on the kids, the report was that Owen was fussy (and he rarely cries or fusses), and he was yanking on his ear. Being the weekend, I couldn't get him to the doctor until Monday (which meant several sleepless nights for me). Owen had an ear infection, and now I'm back to worrying over every sniffle, cough, and sneeze.

Family Christmas Pictures (or...the misery that is taking pictures with two kids)

2009-11-16T05:30:00.002-05:00

Below are the five shots that were even close to being normal from our family picture session. We have always gotten the kids' pictures taken at the same place, and we're happy with the results. However, yesterday was an exercise in futility, mainly because Emily has decided that she doesn't like getting her picture taken. Our goal was to get a picture of all of us for the Christmas card, but my main hope was to get some cute pictures of the two kids. End result: One picture for the Christmas card which I'm not totally loving, and zero pictures of the two kids together. Emily wouldn't take a picture without us, and even then she had to be bribed with a flower the photographer would give her between snaps. We also discovered that it's next to impossible to get a 7 month old and 2 year old both looking at the camera and smiling at the same time. What follows is the best of the shots...and that's not saying much.

If it's not one thing...

2009-11-10T19:52:00.003-05:00

I can remember my mom using the phrase, "if it's not one thing, it's another!" I usually try to stay away from any phrase my mom uses a lot (Dan and I have an entire list we love to tease her with), but it totally described the last week for us.

Picture it: it's Wednesday morning. I am (unusually) early when leaving for work. I am excited because it means I can stop for coffee AND I'll not be the last person to walk into my meeting. I made it all the way to Hanover when....BAM!...I got rear-ended at a light. Until I got out, checked my car, exchanged info, and listened to the guy who hit me swear up a storm, I was late to that meeting.

Thursday morning: I take all the stuff out to the car. Everything appears normal. I wake Emily, forcibly dress her as I do every morning, get Owen up and dressed, suit everyone up in coats, and head out to the car. I am not early this morning. I will make it to work just in time. I turn the key in the ignition. Nothing. I try again. Nothing. I take both kids out, walk back up to the house, and proceed to try to reach Dan for 25 minutes. Smoke is coming out of my head. I consider how long I will lay in a hospital alone and dying if a true emergency ever strikes me. Dan finally picks up. I was almost an hour late for work that morning.

Saturday: I am optimistic. My Friday went well, and while I have to be up early for the SAT's, the promise of a cream filled doughnut has made me giddy. I get to work. I get everyone set up in their testing rooms. I rush to grab one last answer sheet and speed walk it to the room. The clumsiness I am notorious for kicks in, and I fall - hard - onto the floor. As the day wears on, my foot and ankle hurt more and more. But...I have a job to do, and College Board takes SAT administration very seriously. So, it's not until I get home and kick off my heels that I realize something is very wrong. Dan makes me go to the ReadyCare. A cute doctor feels up my unshaven leg (it's winter!), takes some x-rays, and decides I've sprained my foot and possibly sustained a hairline fracture. Yep, giving the SAT's. Who knew it could be so dangerous? He hands me a very unattractive boot type thing, prescribes some painkillers, and sends me on my way.

This week is, however, looking up. Yesterday I got a new hair color that I love. I have been able to avoid wearing the hideous boot in public, and my foot is feeling better. And, I remember another favorite phrase of mom's: what's seconds is thirds. By my count, I had my three things...I'm due for some easy times.

Someone's Got Teeth!

2009-11-03T19:07:00.002-05:00

Owen's first tooth pushed through last Wednesday! It's on the bottom, and he handled it pretty well. The big clue was the copious amounts of drool that poured from his mouth. He's got one right beside of it getting ready to break through...I give it a couple of days, tops. Hopefully soon I'll be able to get a picture of my little man with his new teeth :)

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-03T18:52:00.003-05:00

This Halloween was so much fun for us. For one, we helped Owen celebrate his first Halloween. His babyhood has seemed to fly by; it's hard to believe that only a year ago, I was just beginning to look pregnant rather than just chubby, and we didn't even know if our new baby was a boy or a girl! Mom got the kids shirts to wear to their Halloween parties at school. Here's Owen modeling his (and sitting up all by himself)!
Emily wasn't much for having her picture taken that day, so unfortunately I only got two quick shots of the two of them in their matching Trick or Treat shirts. This was the only one I was allowed to post, though, since the person holding them is missing his shirt :)

Owen had a special My 1st Halloween shirt to wear on Saturday. We decided not to dress him in a costume since he wasn't actually going trick or treating.
Emily decided she wanted to be a pink fairy over a month ago. I was trying to get her to change her mind, since I figured something else (a princess, maybe???) would be warmer. But, the girl is stubborn, and no matter what I tried to suggest, she kept saying, "Fairy. Pink Fairy!" It actually worked out well, since Halloween turned out to have temps in the low 70's. We went up to my school where the Student Council puts on a Haunted Hallways for the employees' family members.
Emily loved having her picture taken this day! She couldn't get enough of her wings or star wand.
After the school's celebration, we went over to mom and Ron's for dinner and trick or treating. Our neighborhood doesn't really have a lot of houses that hand out candy, and mom and Ron's neighborhood is kid central on Halloween, so we ate, got dressed, and Dan, Emily, and I went out. Owen stayed home with Grandma March, Grandma Sipe, and Grandpa Sipe overseeing candy distribution. Emily LOVED trick or treating for the first time, and we were so proud at how polite she was. She would wish everyone a happy halloween and say thank you at each house.

For Sale!

2009-10-26T19:08:00.002-04:00

As of Friday, our house is officially up for sale! It seems like a very long process; I think we've been back and forth about doing this for about six months now. However, we decided that the time was right, and we'll see if the market works out for us. We're not in any hurry, so if it doesn't sell right away, it's not a big deal. But...now that it's up, we keep wondering if anyone's shown interest in it yet :) I've attached some pictures that our realtor shot to put on the website. There are many more on the actual listing, but I wanted to post a few so that I would have a record of how clean and bare the house looked! Now we play the waiting game. If we get a contract on our house, we then scurry around looking at everything we're interested in so we can try to coordinate closing times. I'm sure we would have a place to camp out if we absolutely had to, but I think for the sanity of everyone, it will be best if we get into a new place before we have to leave this one :)

6 month pictures

2009-10-11T22:07:00.002-04:00

We had Owen's 6 month pictures taken today. He did such an amazing job! Emily is still sometimes difficult when it comes to pictures, but our little guy just smiled and posed with ease. The photographer kept saying what an easy shoot it was. He loved it! We had such a difficult time picking the ones we liked best, but the next few posts are all of the shots we had done. Enjoy!

6 month pictures

2009-10-11T22:05:00.002-04:00

6 month pictures

2009-10-11T22:02:00.002-04:00

So Big So Fast!

2009-10-06T20:33:00.002-04:00

We had Owen baptized on Sunday, September 27th. It's hard to believe he's already 6 months old! It was so nice to see our out of town family, and Emily and Owen had a chance to spend some quality time with all of their grandparents. Of course, it wasn't until our out of town relatives left to go home that I realized I took zero pictures! So, we tried to snap a few before we got him changed. Here are some of the whole family, then some of the little man on his special day.

Owen also had his six month checkup yesterday. He is now 17.4 pounds (50th percentile) and 27 3/4 inches (90th percentile). He got four (!) injections, and I was so proud of him. He actually stopped crying before I even picked him up. He's rolling over all the time, he's smiling a ton, and he's really doing well with his food. It's crazy to believe that he's already half-way finished with his first year!

Saying Goodbye

2009-09-12T11:37:00.003-04:00

My grandpa was such an important person in my life. I have so many memories of him that will stick with me forever. Some of my favorites are the times when he and my grandma would have the kids on their own. I remember how fun it was to ride in his El Camino and play the horn he had so the car sounded like the General Lee. I remember going down to Ocean City with them, and how he'd always seem to find something for me with his metal detector. Later, once I learned to drive, I don't think I ever pulled into their driveway without grandpa coming out to inspect my car. He'd kick tires, listen for weird sounds, all to make sure I was safe. Most recently, I've seen how much he loves my kids. No matter what he was doing or how he was feeling, if I stopped by with the kids, he'd be upstairs playing in minutes. I can still see him running around the living room/dining room/hallway chasing Emily (or in earlier years, having the dog chase him). His passing was shocking and unexpected, and it's been difficult to deal with the fact that I won't get to see him anymore. But, I take comfort knowing that my grandpa is still looking out for me and the entire family, making sure we're safe, and loving us from up above.

March, Sylva n A.

View/Sign Guest Book

WEIGELSTOWN Sylvan Augustus March, 76, died unexpectedly Saturday, September 5, 2009, while working at his late sister's home. He was the loving husband of Betty Jane (Diehl) March. The couple celebrated 56 years of marriage on December 6, 2008. He was born June 7, 1933, in Warrington Township, a son of the late Wilbert A. and Alice M. (Myers) March. Sylvan retired in 1997 following 29 years of service in Quality Control for FES, York. His job gave him the opportunity to travel to several countries. Sylvan attended Shiloh Lutheran Church. He was a life member of Viking Athletic Association. He was also a member of Masonic Lodge York 266; Tall Cedars of Lebanon York Forrest 30; and the Hawks Gunning Club. Sylvan enjoyed woodworking, watching NASCAR and traveling to Las Vegas with his wife. He also loved spending time with his grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. In addition to his wife, Sylvan is survived by two daughters, Susan Sipe and her husband, Ron and Sharon Oberdick and her husband, Art, all of Dover; four grandchildren, Courtney Bilodeau and her husband, Danny, Jason Koons and his wife, Jen, Matthew Kinard and Megan Kinard; four great-grandchildren; two sisters, Mae Schrum and her husband, Paul and Jan L. Snyder, all of Weigelstown; a brother, Chester March of Weigelstown; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by three sisters, Emma J. Becker, Martilla Dennis, and Verna Reigle. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the funeral at 11 a.m. and the viewing from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday at Emig Funeral Home, 47 N. Queen St., Dover. Burial will follow in Susquehanna Memorial Gardens. Officiating will be the Rev. Kathy Swords, pastor of Shiloh Lutheran Church. The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Lupus Foundation of Pennsylvania, 5405 Jonestown Rd., Suite 110, Harrisburg, PA 17112; or the York County SPCA, 3159 N. Susquehanna Trail, York, PA 17406.

Ch..Ch..Ch..Ch..Changes

2009-08-21T19:07:00.002-04:00

Well, we've finished our first week! Owen did so well at daycare; he's eating his cereal like a big boy, he's jumping around in the Jumparoo (just like Emily did), and he's all smiles! His naps are still very short, but he's adjusting, so hopefully they'll lengthen as he gets used to napping with other kids around. Emily fell right back into her old routine and is having an amazing time. She's playing with her friends, and we have many art projects that get brought home. The best part of the week, though, is that I absolutely love my new job! I have to get up at 4:00 in the morning to get there on time, and I still don't mind :) And anyone who knows me knows that's a huge deal. I get there 15 - 20 minutes early, and I'm excited to start my day. I'm exhausted at night since I haven't had to work all day then come home to play with kids for awhile, but I'm happy.

Cousins!

2009-08-10T12:17:00.002-04:00

At the end of July, my sister-in-law unexpectedly came back to the area with my niece and nephew. Although the reason for her visit wasn't a pleasant one, it was so nice to see the kids get to play together. I also got to meet my new nephew for the first time.

Emily loves Isabelle. Isabelle is almost exactly a year older than Emily, so everything she does, Em tries to imitate. They were so funny together...they'd chase each other and laugh and shriek and giggle.

Mom and I took the girls into the pool, and again, when Emily saw Isabelle jumping in, she wanted to do it too. We got a workout though; both girls made us jump repeatedly up and down in the water while holding them. Our legs were a bit sore the next day :)
The boys don't play together yet, obviously, but they did have fun looking at each other! Schuyler is so tiny next to Owen...it's tough to believe that just a couple of months ago, my little guy was that small!
And here's one of all 4 of them. I hope that my brother and sister-in-law will find time to come visit more...I love when the kids can play together. And now that I know Jen is superwoman (driving the entire way from Indiana by herself with two kids), I expect to see them more :)

Movin' On Up...

2009-08-07T23:09:00.002-04:00

...at least for a year! This week has been crazy, but it's ended with me having a position as a guidance counselor for the 2009/2010 school year! I'm still going to be at South Western; one of our counselors is taking a maternity leave next year. I had applied for the position but had little hope. I figured they wouldn't consider me since it would mean finding an English teacher to take my spot. So, I applied to other schools. Lots of them. Unfortunately, my experience means I'm expensive, so I wasn't hearing from any of them. Then, I suddenly had two interviews scheduled for the same day last week...one at South Western, and one at Red Lion Jr. High School. The Red Lion position was a permanent position, but I wasn't sure about doing 7th and 8th grade. Still, I went into both interviews hoping for the best.

South Western scheduled a 2nd interview for this past Wednesday. Meanwhile, I learned from my assistant superintendent that Red Lion had called checking references, and she thought they sounded very interested. Now I had a new dilemma...if both offered the job, which would I take? I thought at first I'd take the Red Lion position - it was permanent. But, I liked the idea of being at the school where I knew everyone, plus it was high school. In the end, I called Red Lion before my second interview at SWHS, and I was told that it was basically my salary that was holding up the offer. I did my interview, and within 45 minutes I had a call from my principal. I talked to Dan, dad, and mom, trying to sort out what to do. The next morning I accepted the position at South Western. I feel good about it, although of course the next day (today) Red Lion called with their offer. Still, I'm excited to get the experience, and a little part of me hopes the girl I'm going in for likes staying home so much, she chooses to stay home permanently :)

The only thing that doesn't have me excited is that I have to leave Owen after next week. I'm finding it harder than I thought to think of him in daycare. I like the teachers in the infant room, I know he'll be well taken care of. But he's my baby, and according to Dan (and I mostly agree), he's our last, so it's tough to know that he's not my newborn little baby anymore.

Cereal Killa

2009-07-29T21:52:00.002-04:00

Owen's first go at solid food. He started with the very tasty, very runny, rice cereal. He just looks disgusted in this first picture!

He's thinking, "Mommy and Daddy, why are you making me eat this?"
Now he's getting into it, although not much ended up making it to his belly. He loves to have his mouth open all the time (I think he gets that from Dan :) so most of the cereal just ran right out.
We'll keep practicing. He'll get cereal for the next couple weeks. Once he masters swallowing some of it, then it's veggie time!

Diehl Reunion

2009-07-29T21:45:00.002-04:00

Some pictures of Emily in the creek at our family reunion. I remember playing in this same creek when I was young, so it's cool to see her enjoying herself there. She had so much fun that day! I think being outside all day long was a real treat for her. She had my uncles and grandma picking raspberries for her and feeding her, and poor Lisa was doing laps with Emily around the pavilion. But, Emily had a blast, and she was so worn out that she fell asleep before we got home :)

Hotel Fun

2009-07-29T21:37:00.002-04:00

Our night before getting home...so exhausted!

The next morning before leaving, Emily insisted that Owen had to sit in her bed and watch Sesame Street with her. He looks thrilled, right?

Last Day :(

2009-07-29T21:19:00.002-04:00

Owen spent his last day at the beach in his usual way:
Dad found a tree frog outside and showed Emily. She thought it was really cool, but the frog hip hopped away into the bushes pretty quickly. Emily and dad searched for it, but the frog wasn't dumb...he was gone.

We then went for ice cream, and dad and Shirley both shared theirs with Emily.
And here are the after-effects of the sugar:

4 month stats

2009-07-27T10:35:00.002-04:00

Owen had his 4 month checkup this morning. I was excited to learn his weight, since it felt like he'd gained 10 pounds recently! Everything checked out fine, and he only cried for a few seconds after getting his shots. His stats: 15.4 pounds (70th percentile) and 26 inches (90th percentile). To compare, Emily weighed 13.13 pounds and was 26 1/3 inches at her 4 month appointment. We also got the okay to begin solid foods, so this week we'll start with rice cereal. I remember doing this with Emily, and I have to say, I don't miss the days of baby food all over the place. Still, it will be exciting to see Owen's reaction to all the new tastes he'll be experiencing over the next couple of months!

Beach Baby, Beach Baby, There On the Sand

2009-07-22T08:12:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures of our morning spent on the beach yesterday. We were chased off by 12:30 due to very dark storm clouds which eventually brought a little rain, but for the most part, we had very nice (very hot) weather.

Emily loves the ocean, so she's usually sitting in her little pink chair down by the water. However, we had to get Owen under some shade, so we came up to our area to play in the sand. When Emily plays in the sand, she has a very specific routine. First, she makes Dan fill her bucket with water. After he brings it back to her, she dumps it out in the sand. Then, she orders him back to the water to fill the bucket again. After several trips, Dan told Emily she had to walk to the water too (I think he hoped she'd tire and not make him continue going back and forth).

Owen spent his time on the beach napping...

After nap and bath, Emily and Grandpa headed outside to try out a scooter. At first, dad had to push her on the scooter, and she simply held on. But by the end, she was using her foot to push herself along.
Dan and I then had a date night. Dad and Shirley offered to watch the kids while we went out on our own. We headed to Myrtle Beach for the evening. First, we hit the outlets. Dan wanted a coat, but instead, we ended up getting the kids clothes (go figure). We then planned on eating at Broadway on the Beach; somehow we missed our turn, and we ended up in downtown Myrtle Beach. That was okay...we admired the water as we tried to find our way back to the highway. We did finally get to where we were going, and we ate at Tripp's - very yummy! Then we walked around, saw some fireworks, and fought traffic to get out of the parking lot. I've never seen a parking lot so packed except for concerts and sporting events...it was crazy! We returned home and I went into the bedroom to find my little bed hog was once again in the middle of the huge bed.

Something's Fishy

2009-07-21T07:57:00.002-04:00

We headed to Fort Fisher on Monday to take Emily to the aquarium. While it's not as big as the aquarium in Baltimore, it is really nice and the perfect size for a 2-year-old with a limited attention span. We decided to drive rather than take the ferry, and the trip started out well. By the time we got there, Owen had to eat. There was a group of picnic benches at the edge of the woods where we parked, and I figured that would be the perfect place to feed him before going into the aquarium. Well, within a minute, I was itchy. At first, I couldn't figure out what was happening. Then I saw them: an army of little black bugs attacking me. Dan tried to swat them off of me as best he could, but we were sorely outnumbered. I packed up and retreated...we finished the feeding inside the aquarium. The damage? I had at least 15 bites on my legs, arms, and feet. Dan and the kids? Kids = zero. Dan had one, and I'm pretty sure that was just because the bug he was swatting got confused and bit him by mistake. I must just be extra tasty!

Emily by the alligator. They had an albino alligator there, which was pretty cool. Alligators live in North Carolina's lakes, ponds, and rivers, which is just one more reason why I will never swim in these bodies of water.

If you look closely, you can see a fish with a long snout off to the right of Emily.

Emily was busy pointing something out while we cheesed for the camera. This aquarium also had a touch pool, and Emily had the chance to touch a horseshoe crab. She was more interested in trying to splash in the water, though. She also loved the box turtles...there were so many of them, and they were super active right behind a bench we were on.

Owen and Dan hamming it up for the camera. I took a second to pose with Owen as well, but the bugs were back and gearing up for another attack, so as soon as these pictures were snapped, I booked it out of there!
I missed our turn on the way home, and as a result, we took a little tour of Wilmington. For anyone considering college, UNC Wilmington looked very pretty :)

Freestylin' Part 2

2009-07-20T22:33:00.003-04:00

A few more pictures from our time at Freestyle Music Park. Dan and I crammed into a British telephone booth (and if you thought it was hot that day outside, you should have been in here!)

Walking Abbey Road...
Dad, Shirley, Dan, and Emily...she was mesmerized by the stuff in the water.
Emily busting her best moves after eating supper...
The fireworks at the end of the night. Both Emily and Owen liked them...I was worried since they'd never been around loud fireworks before. Owen was mesmerized, and Emily sat on Dan's lap and simply stared at them.
After the fireworks, Emily made sure to say good-bye to everything she came in contact with...rides, random strangers, chairs...what a dork!

Freestylin' Part 1

2009-07-20T10:25:00.002-04:00

After spending some time on the beach Sunday morning, we decided to head to Freestyle Music Park (formerly the Hard Rock theme park) so Emily could ride some rides. Dad heard that if you got to the park by 4:00, you could get tickets for half price. So, off we went. However, because we all had to shower and get dressed and eat lunch, we left a bit later than we planned. Not too far into the journey, dad (who was my co-pilot) told me to speed up if we wanted to get there in time. I should have used my cruise control, but I only partially take responsibility for what happened next. As I passed a car on my right, I blew by a cop sitting in the median. Seconds later, looking in my mirror, I saw him coming up fast. Soon, he was behind me with lights flashing - I was being pulled over. As the kids napped and Dan fumed in the back seat, Dad explained to the cop that we were trying to get somewhere by 4:00 so he told me to go faster. I don't know if the cop took pity on me because I was traveling with a carload of family or because he saw the smoke coming out of Dan's ears from being angry at me, but I got away with a warning. Thanks, officer!

So, we did make it to the park on time, and Emily had a blast. Here are pictures of her on some of the rides. Dad, Dan, and I also got on The Time Machine roller coaster, and we even talked Shirley into getting on an easy coaster with Dan.

On the Road

2009-07-19T06:59:00.004-04:00

This week, we are on our annual visit to North Carolina to visit my dad and Shirley. The difference this year, however, is we now have two little cherubs to transport (as well as all their stuff). So, Dan made the decision that rather than fly down (which we've done since Emily was born) we'd drive. While I'm not the best traveler when driving long distances is involved, I tried to look at it as an adventure. It also helped that I booked a hotel in Virginia so we could break the trip into two days :)

We started off Friday after Dan got home from work. What was supposed to be a 4 hour ride to the hotel according to Mapquest was a 7 hour journey through rush hour traffic in Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia. Misery! It also rained for much of our trip, so when we finally pulled into the Sleep Inn at 10:00 that night, I was relieved. As you can see, the kids were still in good spirits, even after being stuck in the car for that long period of time.

Emily had her first taste of sleeping in a "real" bed (we converted her crib to a daybed last weekend, but I still don' think she realizes it). She slept with me, and Dan had Owen duty during the night. The next morning, we were up and ready to get to Supply! Dan and I have a pretty good system for the car: I drive (and entertain with my singing), and Dan deals with the kids' needs (since I can't turn around in a moving vehicle due to motion sickness issues). We were in Dad and Shirley's driveway before 2:00, the sun was shining, and we were ready to officially begin our vacation!

Dad immediately put Emily to work picking tomatoes in the garden. She had fun helping her Grandpa!

After dinner (shrimp burgers...YUM!) we went to the beach. Emily didn't put on a suit because we were *supposed* to only be putting our feet in the water. Well, running down the beach with Grandma changed that in a hurry. By the time we left, Emily was soaked and had sand in her hair and stuck to her face. Here's our family shot:
Owen was amazed by his first time at the beach!
Emily chased waves, first with Grandma, then with Grandpa. Even though she wasn't supposed to get wet....well, Grandma didn't listen :)

Potty Time

2009-07-09T15:57:00.002-04:00

We haven't formally been potty training Emily, but she does like to pee on the potty. Lately, though, she's developed a new habit. When she's upstairs on her froggy potty, she MUST have a book to read. It's pretty funny. However, now she sits on the potty all day long it seems, just to read! Today she was sitting for over 30 minutes...at the end, her butt was red from sitting on it, but there was absolutely nothing in the potty. I think she lies and says she has to potty just to read her favorite books!

Happy July 4th!

2009-07-05T22:37:00.001-04:00

Last Ones :)

2009-06-28T23:18:00.002-04:00

Still More!

2009-06-28T23:17:00.002-04:00

More Photo Shoot

2009-06-28T23:16:00.002-04:00

June 27th Photo Shoot

2009-06-28T23:14:00.001-04:00

Ocean City Girls' Weekend - Day 3

2009-06-28T12:51:00.002-04:00

Monday was the day Emily and I had to leave (Dan was nice enough to take the day off to watch Owen). We decided to head to the beach early so that we could have some fun before taking off. Of course, that was the one day Emily decided to sleep in - 8:30! - and it was the only day we had sun before 4:00 p.m. It was overcast at first, so mom, Emily, and I went to the jewelry store that mom and Aunt Sharon always go to. They get charms for their bracelets there, and mom wanted to look at them. I ended up getting a charm bracelet for my birthday and 4 charms to commemorate our girls' weekend. Then we hit the beach, and the sun came out! We took the opportunity to get some family pictures:

Emily once again wanted to be near the water. She also enjoyed playing in the sand, but I have a feeling this girl will be a swimmer!
The last time we were all at the beach together was for my bachelorette party 4 years ago. That time, mom and Aunt Sharon thought it would be fun to run into the ocean together. However, if you've been to Ocean City, you know that the beach drops off pretty abruptly once you hit the water. The two of them ended up face first in the shallows. This year, they decided to give it another try, and the rest of us were ready (note Amber in the background with another camera; Megan was beside me with a camcorder). The two of them began running at the top of the hill and didn't slow down until once again plummeting face first into the surf. These two sisters still know how to have fun together :)
Amber and I got into the water then to swim; we both love swimming in the ocean, and we are usually the only two that will get in (yes, Berwager sisters, I'm calling you two out!) Emily and I had to leave at lunchtime to get bathed and packed. Our drive home was uneventful, although Emily - who was exhausted - refused to sleep in the car because she was busy pointing out all the trucks and busses to me (two of her favorite things). When we got home, Emily couldn't get over to Owen fast enough - she really missed her baby brother! She sat down beside him and didn't leave his side until she went to bed.

Ocean City Girls' Weekend - Day 2

2009-06-27T23:35:00.002-04:00

Sunday the 21st was Grandma's 78th birthday, so we began the day by giving her cards and singing her Happy Birthday. We headed to Layton's for breakfast, where Emily spent the entire time watching the train go around the window display. It was funny, because she'd get excited every time it came by us, then as it went around the rest of the display where she couldn't see it, she'd loudly ask "Where did it go?" Emily also discovered a love for ketchup thanks to Auntie Amber who allowed her to dip potatoes into it from her plate. After breakfast the sun made an appearance (probably thanks to Aunt Sharon's lucky sunshine pants), but by the time we got back and got changed, it had begun to rain yet again. We put Emily down for a nap and played some games until mid-afternoon. While it wasn't sunny, it wasn't raining either, so we decided to brave the beach. Emily had a little beach chair all her own thanks to Grandma and Grandpa March:

The wind was blowing and it wasn't very hot, but we decided to make the best of it.
Emily loved the water, and she and mom were in for quite awhile! We finally had to pull Emily out after a rogue wave smacked her in the head. Her lips and feet were purple, and she was shivering, but she still complained when we made her come back to the blanket.
Luckily, Amber's brother, sister-in-law, and their daughter Rowan joined us, so Emily had a little playmate on the beach.
Around 4:00 (of course, as we were getting ready to pack up), the sun came out. But, we had big plans that night, so we had to go back to get cleaned up and ready for dinner.
Our group headed to Higgins for All-U-Can-Eat crabs that night to celebrate both Grandma's birthday and mine, which was a few days later. Emily discovered corn on the cob...I only wish I'd thought to bring my camera to the restaurant! She had fun eating and coloring while the rest of us enjoyed hardshells, crab legs, and steamed shrimp. At the end of the meal, the waiters and waitresses came out to sing to us for our birthdays; Emily was more interested in the whipped cream the candle was in :) We turned in relatively early (compared to the night before) with plans to hit the beach early.

Ocean City Girls' Weekend - Day 1

2009-06-23T15:34:00.002-04:00

Our Girls' Weekend began early - everyone arrived at my house by 6:30. The car got packed up, everyone got loaded in, and off we went! We hit rain by Baltimore, and we didn't see the sun at all during our drive. Still, we were determined to have sunny skies by the time we got to Ocean City. That didn't quite happen, and although we arrived by 12:30 (there was a breakfast stop along the way), we were kept inside by ugly weather. The sun finally came out just as Emily was beginning a late nap at 4:00, so Aunt Sharon, Megan, mom, Amber, and I had some pool time while Grandma napped with Emily. That night, we headed up to the boardwalk for some junk food, rides, and people-watching. Even the tornado warning couldn't stop us, and Dopplar Amber (as she was affectionately called all weekend) assured us we'd be safe. Here we are on the back deck before leaving:
Emily had never been on a ride before, so one of the things I really wanted to do was see if she'd get on some. We started with the carousel since it seemed pretty tame. Aunt Sharon and I got on with her, although only one of us stood with Emily...the other was having fun riding beside her :) At first, Emily seemed a little nervous, but as we spun around and around, she got more excited. By the end, she was loving it, and Aunt Sharon and I were dizzy and a bit sick to our stomachs (who knew those things turned so fast???)
Since I needed time to gather my senses after the crazy carousel, Megan volunteered to take Emily on her next ride, the balloons. Emily liked this one even more, and when we tried to get her off, she cried :(
So, Auntie Amber and Megan distracted Emily to get her to stop crying. Still, there was one more ride that looked fun. Again, Megan got volunteered to go along since the seating was a bit tight on this one.
I'm sure Megan's co-workers at Frontier will appreciate that she took her niece on a flight :)
After rides, we worked our way back up the boardwalk eating ice cream, chicken wraps, crab balls, toffee, and french fries for dinner. We felt sick, but that didn't stop us from eating even more while hanging out playing games later that night. I think I was up later than I've been for a very long time, but we all had fun.

Beach Bound!

2009-06-19T10:48:00.002-04:00

I am in the process of packing up suitcases for Emily and me because we're heading to Ocean City tomorrow morning! As a way to celebrate my grandma's (78th!) birthday, the ladies of the family are going down the shore. My mom, grandma, Aunt Sharon, cousin Megan, Emily, and I will be spending the weekend hanging out on the beach, swimming in the ocean and the pool, playing games, and eating crabs :) We're also staying right across the way from Amber, so she'll be joining us for the fun too. Right now, I am in shock as to how two people can require 3 suitcases. One is for my stuff, one is for Emily's clothes and shoes, and the last is for everything else that is required to take a 2-year-old to the shore. Her potty chair seat, her diapers, her books, her toys, her doll that she sleeps with...whew! I am super excited to get Em on the beach; last year while visiting my Dad and Shirley, she LOVED the beach, but she wasn't walking yet. Now, she's not only walking, but running, hopping, and galloping. We had her in the ocean a little last year too, but I'm sure this year she'll be more aware of it...I hope she loves swimming in it as much as her mommy and Auntie Amber do! I'll be sure to post lots of pictures after we return!