Glitter Bug

Lost Amid the Remodel

2012-01-14T11:01:00.000-05:00

Somewhere around 4 weeks before Christmas, we(Wayne and I) decided it would be genius if we ripped apart our downstairs bathroom and began the remodeling process. We almost did this over the Summer but went to Key West instead. And now being 6 weeks into the project I can easily say that Key West was far more fun;)

The thing about remodeling for me, is that I know going into it that it will be a painful process. I agonize and dither about the smallest things to a point that is exhausting. Having done a few rooms now, I have faith that in the end, the room will look great, it will look like us and we will be so glad we did it. But before all that satisfaction comes the hemming and hawing inevitable with me. So that is where I've been lost. In the cyber-world that includes image searches of small bathrooms, faucets, faucets that light up(per Willa's request), shower heads, shower systems, tiles, medicine cabinets, vanities and one unfortunate day filled with only variations on robe hooks.

Anyhow, here are the before pictures, including the crooked window shade, the too many bottles of shampoos, conditioners and the like, and a plant that without reason, refuses to die.

At Christmas we let our family sign the insides of the walls:)

Did I mention Wayne is doing all the work himself? Luckily over Christmas break we got almost all the demo done. But now that he's back to working 55 hours a week at work, progress is somewhat slow. Good thing patience is a strong character trait for me(insert eye roll). Plus, there is the rest of 'life' that keeps on insisting it should be paid attention to as well. Happily, I am 99% sure everything has been decided, though it is clear that I may have underestimated how much certain items would cost, I am glad to have all the decision making behind me. Now all we need is time, and Lord knows, we have an abundance of that(insert another eye roll, bigger this time).

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-17T22:20:00.000-05:00

Here's hoping the New Year brings more time and energy for this space. In the mean time, we're wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year:)

More from Kurt and Tia's Wedding

2011-11-10T07:52:00.000-05:00

We stopped at a close by mall and hijacked their carousel for a few minutes. The girls LOVED this part:)

It was actually close to 40 degrees out while we were taking these pics so we had a person close by taking the coats from everyone at the last moment and Tia has mentioned the possibility of being frozen to the bench by the time this last one was shot:)

And then they were off! The newlyweds were thrown for a loop when Tia received an email enroute to the ceremony that said their flights to Australia and Fiji were cancelled due to labor strikes. Not being able to deal with it till Sunday put them behind everyone else who had rebooked flights and although the labor strike lasted less than 48 hours, the airline was unable to get them to Sydney within a reasonable amount of time and could not get them to Fiji at all! I was so sad for them. But they had trip insurance and were able to spend a few days in New Orleans and then a week on a cruise to Cozumel. January will be finding them in Australia and hopefully the 1 yr. anniversary will find them in Fiji. They return tomorrow, back to the real world, hopefully rested and ready to tackle the Holiday Season as the new Mr& Mrs. Spindler. Or Mr. & Mrs. Spindler-Schmidt. Or Mr.& Mrs. Schmidt-Spindler. Or they could create a whole new last name with the letters of their respective last names; DeMinssprichdt, or Shindlermiscpdt, or....

Oh My, Where to Start??

2011-10-30T11:26:00.000-04:00

Rest assured life has been happening at an alarming rate around here. Though not so much blog action, to be sure. I think we will have to work backwards from last night. Yesterday, I got to remove the 'Almost' from my Almost-Sister-In-Law's title. Finally, finally my brother, Kurt, and his dearest Christina, got married.

We were lucky enough to be part of the festivities. All of us. 1 Groomsman, 1 Bridesmaid, and 3 adorable little flower girls. Since we were part of the wedding party I do not have pics of everything but when I do, I will be sure to post.

It's funny how a wedding day is planned to be 'perfect' and yet the imperfections are the things that make it so memorable. For example...Turns out that getting an entire family with 3 small kids wedding ceremony ready requires more than 3 hours to not feel crazy. Note to self for next time:) And that 2 stylists at a salon is not enough to get a Bridal Party ready even if you plan 3 hours for them. So when the salon is an hour behind, that means the limo is also late getting the guys and they will have to, at the last minute, drive themselves from point A to point B, arriving at the church when the wedding is supposed to be starting. Which means the bulletins will be handed out by some of the bridesmaids instead of the ushers. And that an hour before the ceremony, Christina found out that the airline that was to take them on their honeymoon the following day to Australia and Fiji, has cancelled ALL flights due to labor strikes. And during the ceremony, the 2 yr. old flower girl takes a facial on the stairs(while wandering about the front of the church), not too bad though and she managed to hold back the tears which was most impressive.

Now to the things that did go perfect. The ceremony was lovely. Two 'I Do's were said at the correct moment. Petals were thrown by flower girls with gusto. A cool sand ceremony with my brother and his kids,Tia, my Mom and Tia's Mom all alternately pouring sand into a glass jar went smoothly. Pictures were taken with everyone smiling. Bubbles were blown. A bridal party ride on the Mall Carousel happened without incident and with 3 VERY happy flower girls. Outdoor pics were taken while hudled around the outdoor heater and throwing coats and shawls to a 'coat holder' at the last minute. Golf carts were driven without accident.

Kid-favors placed at tables led to many happy, silly moments.(seriously, they really went out of their way to make sure everyone, the big and the small, had a great time).

Dinner was absolutely delicious(I mean so far above standard wedding fare I can't even begin). A power nap was taken at dinner by a certain 2yr old.

The most fantastic 1st dance was followed by the best family dance with the Bride and Groom and the 4 kids to a collage of very cool songs that I'm hoping to post via youtube once I can find someone who was smart enough to video it.

Cake was cut and not smooshed. Cupcakes and chocolates were a plenty.

And there was dancing, dancing and more dancing!

Including Adalyn's own unique moves.

Adalyn was too busy dancing to pose for a family shot.

All in all, it went by wayy too fast. Not enough pictures by half!

But so happy for my brother and his Beloved. Wishing them a lifetime of happiness, health, and love.

1st Day of School

2011-09-08T21:57:00.000-04:00

Today, this one went off to her first day of 3rd grade.

And this one went off to her first day of 1st grade.

And we all happily marched down to the bus stop with our "pack-packs" on.

Isn't the first day of school grande?

And then they were off in a blur.

And one little 2yr. old realized the bus was not taking her to school.

Dearest Adalyn, you will grow up soon enough. Stay small for me for just a little while longer.

Where Has My Time Gone?

2011-08-25T08:48:00.000-04:00

My silence in the land of the blog can mean only 1 of 2 things. Either volleyball has started or I'm not taking many pictures.

Both this time around.

Volleyball started last week and as always is all consuming of any extra time or brain-space. Right before that, my computer told me it's memory was nearing a tipping point and could no longer handle any more photos. So I've taken some, but they are stuck on my memory card without a home. This is a newish computer so I was surprised. But it turns out those HD videos are space hoggers.

Now add to that the re-aquiring of the found pup...yes, yes. Our neighbors had our found little guy for a while. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on who you are, he kept breaking out and making his way down to our yard. At an almost embarrassing rate. All of a sudden, he would just be in our back yard. So the neighbors(4 houses down), who are really lovely and great and fun, asked us if we wanted him back since he seemed very clearly attached to us and we seemed equally attached to him. After assuring us repetitively that there would be no hard feelings and no weirdness at all, we accepted the pup back. Legend, the newest member, has been keeping us on our toes. Has eaten, and then horked up, 4 socks(that I know of) has ripped holes in countless others, and generally been proving his puppiness. Even as I type, I can hear strange, unsettling noises that will be sure to amount to some new mischief he can get into. But he had already nuzzled his way into our soft hearts. And onto the furniture. Sigh.

Camping

2011-07-19T22:47:00.000-04:00

The day after we were to arrive home from Key West, we planned to head out on a 3 day camping trip to Yogi Bear Campground. Well, bad weather wreaked havoc on planes flying into Baltimore and a long story short, we got a bonus night of vacation in balmy Baltimore. So that meant the day we flew home, we also were departing on a camping trip. In hindsight, perhaps allowing 48 hrs. in between would have been wiser, but live and learn. Borrowing my brother's awesome camper(w/potty and running water, and even air conditioning!) we braved the great outdoors.

Just what we all needed to re-bond together after our 5 day getaway. The campground is great for kids. Water park, boats, pedal carts, pool, miniature golf, all in a not-too-big but not-too-small campground.

Plus, we got to go with another awesome family. Rylie and Adalyn just happened to be born on the same day and here they sit on the docks looking for fish.

The older 2 girls loved playing with their good friend Camryn.

And I loved playing with my very good friend, Kerrianne.

Cody(aka: Doo-Doo I'm not kidding, that's what Rylie started calling him one day and it stuck), now 16(!), was such a help with the little ones and such a cool guy to hang out with. It made me want to rent my own teenager, though I have heard that if they belong to you, they are not always so helpful.

Daily we went on Heyrides(seriously loud person leading camp songs as they drive a large trailer full of overtired kids and underslept parents).

And to keep the whining to a minimum, we even rented a golf cart to ferry all our little tired legs to and from the water park back to our campsite.

It was a perfectly relaxed enjoyable weekend with some great friends.(Notice that all of the Bader's children seem to love getting close to Yogi. Not so for the Kelly crew, who barely got within touching distance before turning tail and running.) It was full of S'mores, and campfires, and no schedules, and easy conversation.

Sadly, a day after we returned from our camping adventure, Kerrianne's father, at age 64, had a major heart attack. After a 4 day coma, he passed away. I have known their family all my life and remember her Father with a big smile on his face and a booming voice. It is so hard the way life can be so simply wonderful one minute and so devastating the next. But I suppose without our lows, we would never be able to truly appreciate the highs. My heart goes out to my dear friend and her family. I feel like we are too young to lose any of our parents, but I suppose life does not hand out any guarantees. I know they will all miss him terribly and that the days and months ahead will be so challenging. But their family is full of strength and their attachment to each other is palpable. I wish them peace as they go forward from here.

Key West

2011-07-13T10:09:00.002-04:00

Last week Wayne and I took off for a four day getaway to Key West, sans kids. I hate leaving my kids and I swore to him as we left for the airport and Denver was crying that I wouldn't be doing this for at least another 6 years. But once there, I could see how much a trip without our little darlings was needed. Conversations uninterrupted. Energy to focus on each other. Activities not even remotely possible with wee ones along. Like our marriage had been a long distance runner and had stopped on an enjoyable run, to take a drink of water.

Key West was lovely and had a few quirks that made it feel unique. First, the island has a ton of free roaming chickens. We started counting and got up to 54. They do not, however, know how to tell time as proved by their excessive crowing. While eating at a restaurant(outside of course, like so many tropical places, everything happened outside), it was not unusual to have a chicken pass under your table. There is even a stiff penalty in Key West for harm caused to the little creatures.

Every night in Mallory Square there is a Sunset Festival. Street performers, craft people, and tourists all gather to watch the Sunset and get a little entertainment as well. Including this crazy dude known as the Catman. Seriously had a few marbles loose but has trained his little herd of cats to perform.

We took a day trip out to the Dry Tortugas National Park. Leaving very early in the morning on a high speed ferry we motored for 2 hours 70 miles West of Key West. My stomach was not a fan of the boat ride but the trip was still a big highlight. While there we went snorkeling off the island and saw some very cool fish. The fort was very interesting to walk around and although there was heavy cloud cover and rain throughout much of the day, we still ended up a little sunburned.

The pylons you see sticking out of the water were where we saw the coolest fish. A couple hundred year old, they have started to turn into a reef of sorts. I think the biggest fish we saw was about a 4 foot tarpon.

This boat held 22 Cubans seeking asylum in the US. If they can reach the Tortugas, they have made it. It was said that they even knew the Rangers name when they arrived.

Our last morning we spent on this little scooter touring the island, which is really not that big. Wayne is now convinced we should buy one. We drove past Hemingway's house, but did not go in. It was just too fun on the scooter.

Then home, sort of. We ended up getting a bonus night in Baltimore due to weather and missing our connection by 20 minutes. Maybe waiting 6 more years to do this again might be too long. The girls missed us, Denver in particular had a hard time, and we missed them but it was magical to be away with the love of my life.

Barnard Fireman's Parade and Carnival 2011

2011-06-29T08:43:00.002-04:00

I know it's Summer when it's time to drag our chairs a few streets over for the annual Barnard Fireman's Parade and Carnival. Luckily the rain stayed away for our annual fun-filled night.

2 must be the best age to watch a parade because Adalyn was so animated the whole night. The joy you get from watching your kids be happy is a benefit from parenting that always surprises me.

We brought out new 'neighbors' too! Shawn(Wayne's youngest brother) and his lovely wife Lesley bought a house one street over from ours. I think there may be 5 houses between ours. They have 3 kids too, close to the ages of ours. It's been another great thing about our evolving neighborhood to have family so close. Our back yards are nearly kiddie corner and well within walking distance.

The next night we headed down to partake of the carnival pleasures. Only that night the rain didn't hold off and there was about a 20 min downpour during which we stayed under the beer tent and ate really-bad-for-you carnival food.

My parents joined us and my Mom and I got a couple dozen clams so of course the girls had to play with the shells. Who knew clam shells in the rain could be so fun?

Then it was time for rides. With all the rain keeping people away, the girls had the whole thing practically to themselves. We learned one important piece of information: 1 ride on the swings for Willa is fun, 2 rides back to back is very, very bad:( But I will say she recovered quickly. Adalyn could only go on a few rides, but she did those in repetitious bliss while the other 2 ran around on the rides they were tall enough for. Denver and Willa knew more people than we did. And of course we had to visit the Duck Pond where Adalyn kept trying to get more and more ducks till we had to drag her away from the game all together. Actually, every game we played seemed to follow that same pattern. Maybe 2 year olds are not quite so ready for carnival games. But a great time was had by all and 3 very tired girls were tucked in that night with carousel horses dancing in their dreams.

Springdale Farm

2011-06-23T14:11:00.000-04:00

Willa's Kindergarten class had a field trip to Spingdale Farm last week and I happily accompanied them. What could be more perfect; 72 degrees, sunny, and farm animals as far as the eyes could see and smell. Well, maybe not that far but animals were seen and touched a plenty!

We also got to watch an automated milking machine at work. It was remarkable to say the least. As was the automated manure sweeper. I wonder if they make such a thing for dog pooh in back yards...

This goat took a liking to Willa and nuzzled her for a while.

The kids all got to listen to the heartbeat of one very patient rabbit. Then they all got to pet a kid, a chick, a ferret, and a duckling.

There was even a little time left to play in the petting area.

Canine Diversions

2011-06-21T16:25:00.001-04:00

It seems life is going faster than I can keep up with. The next 2 weeks don't seem to be slowing down any either. But here is one of our current diversions...

Last Tuesday morning, Wayne was opening up work at 4:30am when he heard a clickity clack and turned to see a pitbull running toward him. After determining it was a nice dog it proceeded to curl up in his lap and fall asleep. He was rail thin with far too many bones showing. A coworker took it temporarily, but her dog did not care for that so we took it on Thursday.

I don't want two dogs. The poop to grass ratio gets a little off kilter and now that he is feeling better, he is starting to reveal his young age with some destructive chewing and eating inappropriate things.(Willa's sock, which he later horked up) But he is one sweetie-pie of a dog. Really affectionate and good with the kids and Possum.

Hopefully we will find a forever home for him, but if we can't I have a feeling he may join our household.

Sigh.

Here he is after a long day of partying on Father's Day. Turn up the volume so you can hear him snore!

Oakwood Rd, North 1st Annual Block Party

2011-06-13T21:24:00.001-04:00

Consuming much of my active brain space this Spring was the planning for our 1st ever block party. Wayne and I really wanted to do this last year but time got away from us. So we started our planning in April, got our permit, barricades, and bounce houses and with a lot of help from our neighbors, we enjoyed the event Saturday. The rain held off, sprinkling only occasionally and almost everyone who was home came out for the day to mingle, meet, and laugh. A few area businesses made modest donations(thank you Wegmans for the gift card, Wise Guys Diner for the hot sauce, and Dunkin Donuts for the donut holes).

We wanted to make a community of our little slice of Greece but people did not know each other. Nothing to do but to have a big party! Our local fire station sent over a fire truck and rescue truck and the Monroe County Sheriffs Department sent over 2 horses and officers. The kids were able to climb in the firetruck and pet the horses. While adults mingled and BBQed, the kids ran between 2 bounce houses and enjoyed the thrill of riding up and down the middle of the street.

Adalyn played till she just about fell over, enjoying every ounce she could squeeze out of the day. She found a deep love of orange drink and sported an orange mustache for a good portion of the day.

The difference in the feel of our street is already tangible. It is hopefully the start of a great tradition.

An Ethiopian Update

2011-06-08T23:06:00.000-04:00

Since writing this post, time has past and I felt I should update those of you who aren't in my daily circle. To be fair to myself, I wrote that post intending on going. Indeed, it was written to sway the reader to agree with me. And I think it would have been a great experience. Possibly life changing. I love the friend that offered me this chance and would have loved to spend the time with her knowing that it was possibly the only time I might do so. But I didn't go. A few things happened that made me change my initial inclinations.

First, we were put in contact with someone through Compassion who could answer many more questions than we previously had answered. Someone who knew a little bit more about the way the system worked and had done essentially the same thing we were trying to do with his own sponsor child. Tsegaye would have to sit down with a person from the church and discuss the best ways in which to use the monies we sent, though the decision to continue his schooling would still have to be his. This seemed right and hard at the same time. I wanted to MAKE him continue, but knew it would mean more if it was his choosing.

We also received his last letter(through Compassion) that removed any doubt as to what his goals were. He desperately wanted to finish school and did everything but outright ask us to help him. This made us feel certain that the money we sent would be used for the purpose we intended. Thus removing the absolute need for me to go there to set it up.

I would be dishonest if I said the money was not an obstacle as well. It would cost 4Xs as much for me to go vs. just sending the money. The whole goal was to get his education funded, not to meet him, however wonderful that would have been, and I could not overlook the burden of the price tag of such a trip. Yes, I had a tentative plan to fund it, but looking back on how busy we were without the added fundraising, I'm not sure how I would have fit it in and maintained my sanity or my family.

On the positive side, we have gotten several e-mails from Tsegaye. He must have someone who can translate for him b/c they come in English, however broken. He has continued his schooling and assures us his family supports him in this as well. He still always asks us to come. Perhaps our next sponsor child should be in a location that is easier to visit.

I do feel a bit like I settled for mediocrity when I had something so much more within my grasp. And that is disappointing. I am not a great traveler without my kids. I used to love it, before I had wee ones I had to say goodbye to. And part of me feels like I let this feeling override the opportunity. I'm not interested in beating myself up about it. I think that as my kids get older, it will be easier to leave them or I will be able to take them with me more. I know I missed out on something really special. I can only pray that the next time I get such an opportunity, I will not have any qualms about taking it.

Dance Recital 2011

2011-06-04T15:21:00.000-04:00

Ahh, the 48 hours that is the dress rehearsal and recital... a time full of make-up, sequins, bobby pins, an ungodly amount of hair product, 4 costume changes, 1 hairstyle change, me running like mad to and from the auditorium so I can alternately see 1st girl dance then hurry backstage to change 1st girl into 2nd costume and run back so I can see 2nd girl dance her 1st dance then run backstage to get the 2nd girl ready for her 2nd dance then bolt back into the auditorium so I can see them both dance their 2nd dance. I'm not sure about them, but I was beat afterwards!

Displaying more interest this year than in years past, the last month was filled with requests to play their practice video so they could cement their routines. Denver danced a tap number to, 'Let's hear It For the Boys.'(See 1st You Tube Video Clip-she is far right, front row)And a Jazz to 'California Girls' by Katy Perry(kids bop version, thank God!)

Willa's tap was to a cute number called, 'Shake Your Blues Away' and her jazz was to a hip hop version of 'Mary Had a Little Lamb.' I'm working on getting all the dances up so be patient.

Of course they were so cute and adorable and did great, but I'm glad I won't have to do it for another whole year.

Spring

2011-05-27T09:53:00.001-04:00

Apologies to those of you who check often only to find my recent lack of activity. No great explanations to give. I think the wet soppy weather has drowned my blogging initiative. We are, of course, busy, but we are generally always busy. Wayne has been working 65 hours a week since January and I suppose the hours are getting to us, let alone him. Good news came this week when he found out he could drop to 50. Still a lot, but after 65 for so long, quite an improvement. And not a week too soon. We will all be happy to have him home more especially if he's awake for those hours;)

But to update the world(all 6 of you), here are only a few of the things that have occupied our time...

Both girls had art pieces in the school's art show up at the local Mall.

Wayne and I have been busy trying to plan our first block party. This has proved really great in that we get to meet a lot of neighbors we hadn't known, but also hard in the fact that I'm much more of a big picture planner and the details sometimes overwhelm me.

Mother's Day brought 0 pictures, but Wayne spent 5 hours the day before running the electric for my new water feature:) It was either this urn fountain or a Koi pond. For once I thought I would start small.

Of course after all this rain one would think we needn't any more water but once Adalyn learned how to turn on the hose, it was puddle city. This requires many baths, many outfits and many tantrums about when a hose can and can't be turned on.

This weekend is the girl's dance recital and this is truly big news as they have been practicing harder than I have ever seen them! A whole post, complete with innumerable pictures will soon follow, but here is a little taste...

Niagara Falls

2011-04-25T07:39:00.000-04:00

For Willa's birthday trip, she chose to go to Niagara Falls. For those that may not remember, we don't get the girls presents anymore. (we have enough stuff) But we do let them pick anywhere(within reason) to go for their Birthday. And so, Niagara was Willa's choice.

For those of you not from around here, this may seem like a huge deal. After all, it is one of the 7 wonders of the world. But Niagara Falls is only a little more than an hour away from us, making it a perfect day trip. The Falls is best viewed from the Canadian side, so across the border we went.

There were quite a few options for the tourist thing but Willa chose The Journey Behind the Falls. This is a path that leads you behind the Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian Side. Here, you see us in a tunnel of sorts, the white behind us is the Falls, crashing down. It also lets you observe the Falls closer to ground level. The Falls is immense and we could feel the power in the air as we walked around.

No we didn't sell off the little one. The day before we left I took her in to the Dr. to find she had a double ear infection. While it was still tempting to bring her along, we decided to let her stay with Gran and Pop. She was a stinker for them so I can't imagine what she would have been if we had tried to drag her all over the Falls with us. I was sad she wasn't there, but it worked out well, since we were able to focus on the other 2 way more than what we would have been able to if Adalyn had come. One day, we'll have to start bringing her to these fun family adventures.

At night, they shine immense lights onto the Falls and this was one of the things on Willa's list to see. The Falls consist of two waterfalls, fed by the same river, interrupted by an island. Above you see the American Falls, and below is the larger, Horseshoe Falls. This is when they remembered they could take pictures with their DS. They have about a hundred pictures like these:)

The surprise of the trip was an overnight stay at The Great Wolf Lodge, an enormous indoor waterpark. Literally, 5 minutes away from the Falls, it was a perfect way to cap Willa's birthday trip. I would put up more pictures, but we were so busy having fun, and being wet, that the camera didn't come out too much.

They were asleep within minutes of crossing the border back into the US. Wayne and I just wished we could do the same. Kids love hotels but they don't actually sleep long or well while there. We haven't been this tired in a long time. Well worth it though.

Willa Turning 6, Continued...

2011-04-14T07:27:00.000-04:00

For her birthday, Willa wanted a couple friends over for a mini-party. There was some last minute doubt(and I admit I freaked out a bit) when I only had heard back from 1 out of the 3 girls she invited. After a lot of unnecessary stress, just the 1 friend came. But, it is her best friend, and as it turns out, I think that's all a girl of 6 really needs.

I covered her Pink Lady(strawberry) cake in fondant and let them use food coloring and paintbrushes to paint the cake. This was really turning out cool until, like all painting with small children, they combined all the colors to make a darkish purple that covered everything(including their clothes). But a cool idea I will keep in my Cool Idea Closet(a space in my brain that I can sometimes find for special occasions).

Continuing my no toy birthdays, Willa has chosen to go to Niagara Falls, Canada for her birthday trip. Wayne even took a day off from work(insert the singing of the Hallelujah Chorus) next Thursday. This turned out to be a bit more complicated when I realized at 2 weeks out, that my passport had expired less than a month before and I could not find Denver's birth certificate. Long and very expensive story short, I now have a valid passport and Denver's birth certificate. What the girls don't know(so no one blab!) is that we are surprising them with a stay at The Great Wolf Lodge, conveniently 15 minutes from the Falls. I am so excited I could burst. And since they both can read and have now awoken from their royal slumbering, time to end this. But I'm sure there will be lots of pics to come of her birthday trip:)

#2 Turns #6

2011-04-03T10:07:00.002-04:00

Willa turned the big 6 yesterday. Looking through the last 6 years in photos, it's hard to find one with her not smiling. She is as her middle name suggests, Joy-ful.

About 6 months old here.(yes, I could not figure out how to flip it the right way, really blogspot should make that an option when adding pics)

Around 18 months here. She and Great-Papa were good friends, though sadly she doesn't really remember him too much now.

After these there is a gap in photos since my comp. crashed and I can't figure out how to transfer from an online photo store back to my comp. Is that possible, does anyone know??

Always Happy, even the day after she had the stomach bug. Every time I see this picture I think about how skinny she seemed from not eating for a few days last Spring. But, still happy.

We happened to pull out her scrapbook at lunchtime and found her exact time of birth to be while we were eating. So we quick stuck a candle in her PB&J and sang Happy Birthday to Willa!!

Willa has been saving up for a particular toy(I'm sure a pic will be updated to this soon) and Denver counted out the exact amount Willa needed, $3.64, from her piggy bank and wrapped it up(with a lot of tape) so Willa could get her much anticipated toy. We are heading out soon to go purchase it. Much to her dismay we could not go there in our pajamas within the first 5 minutes of wakefulness.

Willa Joy, a beautiful, happy thoughtful 6 year old that we are so very blessed to have in our family.

In the Meantime...

2011-03-23T16:58:00.000-04:00

Winter is almost over, Thank God! Although as I write this we have heavy snowfall and are expecting 2-4 inches. I don't care how much snow you throw, Mother Nature, I refuse to shovel one more ounce! Not. One. More.

So while fighting our cabin fever here in Upstate New York, we have...

Turned 24 yards of Tulle into 3 tutus...

Cleaned out the pots and pans for Mom(without being asked) but...

forgot to leave a path to get out.

Snuggled often and long with our dollies and sisters.

And have kept our eyes out for signs of Spring.

#3 turns #2

2011-03-16T22:27:00.001-04:00

Adalyn turns 2 today. Many people say they can't believe how fast it all went but really, with all the not-sleeping she brought to our house, I felt every day of that 2 years. Now that we are in the happy world of normal, healthy sleeping habits, I can look back on the past two years with a more jovial heart than I might have had going through it. I am thankful every day that she is healthy, happy, and part of our family.

Here is a brief photographic journey of this year...

At her 1st Birthday Party(note flat hair, not so sure of the whole party thing)

Peace!

This is about a month after her first birthday and when we first started noticing the change in her hair.

This delightful shot reminded everyone in my family of me. As a tot I would crawl around at picnics swallowing up the remains of unattended adult beverages.

On vacation in Virginia Beach(one of the few shots with me actually in the picture)

Silly with her sisters.

Pudding!

Peek-a-boo

Stickers!

The princess had home made pizza for her dinner, and decorated her own brownie for dessert. Course, she only ate the decorations, but no one seemed to notice. Happy Birthday Adalyn.

Princesses

2011-03-04T16:57:00.000-05:00

We Stumbled Upon this website full of fun princessy hairstyles. The author does a nice job with the instructions so I felt empowered to try something new with their hair.

So for a local High School production of Cinderella we had two princesses, complete with princess hair(Denver in the Cinderella do and Willa in a Belle style), glitterfied with spray hair glitter of course, and two Grandparents as escorts. Along with their dolls too, who yes, did get to sit through the performance. The girls had a great time, even getting to participate in a 'parade' across the stage at the end of intermission, followed by a sleepover at Gran and Pop's house.

My ASIL came over and watched Ady while Wayne and I snuck out to a dinner that had no interruptions.

34-Updated

2011-02-25T22:22:00.002-05:00

It's my birthday tomorrow. I am trying hard and showing great restraint by not rolling my eyes right now. So instead of taking the road labeled, "Annoyed with getting older," I am going down the one labeled, "Celebrate in a fun, unique way." So, to celebrate my whopping 34 years on this planet, I am going to try and perform 34 Random Acts of Kindness. And since I know my time is stretched thin this weekend, I'm asking for your help to get to 34. So if you are reading this, please consider performing a random act of kindness in my honor. But then you have to let me know what it was so I can keep track of numbers.

I got this idea from here. I was really inspired by this post when I read it and decided to try it this year. I'm not sure I can afford to do quite so many big things as the author does, the intent of the goal is not to bankrupt me, just to LOOK. Look for ways to make the lives around you, known and unknown, better. To be nicer to strangers, just for the sake of being nice.

So here's what I've got...

#1-#4-Gifted the 4 ladies at the Dentist office with some Lia Sophia Bling when I took Denver in for her appointment.

#2- Bought a $10 gift card at Target and told the cashier to use it on the next order that came through her line. It took her a second to really get what we were asking, but when the next person approached her line, she smiled and said,"Well, I guess that would be her."

#3-#5- Gave some more bling away at Wegmans. Had to correct someone who thought I was selling it.

#6-Bought a sub tray while at Wegmans and delivered it to our local Fire Department. The girls LOVED this one b/c the fireman let them climb up on the Ladder Engine for a picture.

#7- Wrote a thank you note to our mail-person and attached a Chocolate bar to it.

#8-#17 Snowblowed 10 driveways(besides our own) after we got about a foot of snow within 12 hours.

#18&#19- Denver and Willa shoveled two neighbors porches and applied pixie dust(ice melt).

I'm in a gym for most of my day tomorrow, playing the role of coach for a 14 and Under Volleyball team. I'm hoping there will still be opportunity to knock a few more off my list. But that's the thing I guess, there is always a place for kindness. If we can't immediately see it, it may be we aren't looking close enough.

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#20+#21 Submitted via my Mom "When I told Aunt Bev about your request, she bought a dozen donuts to take to the gals at Joann's and pre-paid an order at a local deli for a family who had a trailer fire and lost the double wide and the garage last week."

#22 While buying the 5 glass vases in this pic at Goodwill, I also got a $10 gift card for the next person in line(who gave me a hug).

#23 Delivered 5 vases full of flowers to a local Nursing Home.

#24-33 Gifted the staff of 10 at the same Nursing Home with Lia Sophia bling(seriously, I had a lot of jewelry to give)

#34&#35 Delivered cookie trays to the local Police Precinct and another Fire Station

#36 Gave a $25 gas card to someone at the gas station. This was little harder b/c the first guy Wayne tried to give it to, didn't want it. I think he was afraid Wayne was accosting him, but eventually he did understand and told him to try and find someone who really needed it. We did find someone who would take it and seemed pretty happy about it too.

# 37 Delivered a box of drawing pads, crayons, and silly putty to a local hospitals Emergency Room, along with a case of bottled water.

To be sure, the second day was harder due to our family fatigue from the weekend. As you see, Adalyn was sometimes awake and sometimes not. The older 2 girls were pretty pooped too. But my Almost-SIL took the torch and really ran with it. Having lost a dear friends of hers about a year ago, what started out as a few good deeds for my birthday turned into 34 ways to remember her friend. It is a heartwarming experience actually. Almost addicting. Thanks Robyn, for the great idea.

Happy 3 Days After Valentine's Day

2011-02-17T08:13:00.000-05:00

I kind of missed the blog for Monday. But here is a little Valentine picture so I hope you had a nice day. The older I get the more I find that this day is really not a big deal if your married(Wayne and I have never really celebrated it), but seems to be a big deal if you're single or dating someone. I'm not sure what that says about us marrieds. But I know I have 3 of the cutest Valentines to be had(actually I have 8, as I have been corrected many times now. The rest include Daddy(can't argue that one) and Possum(big argument there), Sneakers and Neener(cats who are on the top of my 'dislike' list lately), and Rainbow, our new Beta fish that sits on our dining room table and swims around in her little bowl, all the while laughing at us I"m sure).

Oh well. Lately we've been noticing Adalyn has a more determined sense of style than her sisters did at this point. Or maybe it's been so long I can't actually remember accurately. Most of the time her style includes a dancing skirt. She is way more into dress up than the other two were. We've been known to go to the grocery store in hideously mismatching pieces only because we(and by 'we' here I mean her royal highness) were determined to do so.

But we have managed to finally, finally get her to sleep normally. In her own bed all night. So we can all laugh a little easier now that we are not on the cliff of sleeplessness. It seems we are trading the bad sleep for the terrible two's however.

Interspersed with bouts of delightfulness, of course.

Crafting Bug

2011-02-11T15:40:00.000-05:00

Winter has brought a fierce crafting bug to my house. Along with a determination to make more gifts instead of just buying something that will only be forgotten 48 hrs. later. I thought I'd share as I'm pretty proud of my little projects. The real test will be if I can come up with handmade gifts for the teen nephews in a few weeks:/ Crafting for guys is always so hard so if anyone has a suggestion, let me hear it.

This is a little pen set and holder I made for a boy in Willa's class.

I used wire to 'write' his name and embroidered stars onto the denim. I used a cardboard core covered in denim(old jeans, not even fit for Salvation Army). Then I stitched a rocket ship and 2 aliens and hot glued them to a pen. Boys are always hard to craft for but I like this little gift and I hope he will too!

By the same line, this was a little gift for one of Denver's friends. Again, a cardboard core covered in denim. I stitched the little girl's name and decorated with some silk-ribbon embroidery. The we covered pens with green florist tape and hot glued a silk flower into the top after removing the plug.

These flowers I fell in love with! Taking a strip of fabric and stitching one side tight and then hot glueing a button in the middle. Then hot glue a lollypop stick to the back with maybe a circle of felt to cover the messies. For my niece, I took florists styrofoam and glued it into the tin pot and sliced a bunch of holes in a piece of brown felt. Glued the felt on top of the styrofoam and she can 'plant' them. I would use wooden dowels if I did it as a gift again, the lollypop sticks broke too easily:/. But I think she enjoyed it all the same. I did have a misguided thought to make these flowers for Valentines for the kids to take to school. However, clocking at around 10 minutes per, it was slightly unrealistic to make 50 of them. Maybe just for the teachers.

And this is a cute little monster I made for Adalyn. I think much of my inspiration came from just thinking about ways in which I could play with my Mom's box of buttons which I'm hoping she doesn't actually want back:)

And finally, for a dear little friend's birthday, the girl's wanted to throw a little birthday tea party. Just the 3 of them. So I decorated this little cake, and made cucumber sandwiches and fruit kabobs.

This is what Winter does to me since I can't be outside.

Taxes

2011-02-04T15:13:00.000-05:00

Today I had to pay our property tax. It is not a fun time. I do not like to see my money leave so quickly when it seems to take so long to build up. But I also really don't want to be a grumbler. Someone who is always complaining about, well, taxes. And Lord knows if I added up all of the tax I pay, from the grocery store, to the hardware store, plus school taxes and then property tax plus the taxes taken out of our paychecks for things like medicare and SS, I would probably faint at the number and be able to make a good case for taxation without representation. However, I digress.(BTW, I live in Monroe County and we are the most heavily taxed area in the US, ugh.)

There are really good reasons we pay taxes and I will take a moment to list some of the good things my tax dollar helps pay so I avoid turning into one of those people who looks at every public employee as a wretched waste of time and money(not naming names but the description fits a lady at the bus stop who is constantly complaining that we have to pay $$$$$ for the health care and benefits of each town employee. I'm really tired of hearing this because in the end, I don't want to have a community of people who do not have health care. It would not make for a good situation I think.) Again, I digress.

1. We have a fire station less than a half a mile away. That means a response time of under 5 minutes for almost any emergency. This is actually huge when you think of what the ramifications would be of not having one so close.

2. Our Town(Greece) has a free compost and wood chip program where they actually deliver the materials to your house. This is a huge service to someone who likes to garden and makes me happy every year.

3. Our police department is extensive. While yes, we have not had a great couple years there as far as scandal free authority goes, I do feel safe in my area and all my interactions with the police have been positive.

4. Our streets are plowed fairly well and often.

5. When the sewer backed up into our house a couple years ago, they were here within 30 minutes and cleared the problem. We did have to tackle the clean-up but we did not have to pay a plumber.

6. They removed my old yucky tree and planted a new one, that I got to pick. Course my choices were limited but still, I had a choice.

7. We have 2 libraries, one of which is very large. I think we need to expand the smaller one that is blocks away from my house. But still, I can reserve any material in the system and have it delivered to my neighborhood library. Plus, the librarians there are great, helpful people who have been kind to my children ever since we started bringing them.

8. We have quite a few parks, though I would love to see more trails too, the parks and playgrounds are great for my kids and for Possum too. We have 3 within walking distance of our house and during the Summer, it is a boredom buster for sure.

So there's 8 good reasons to pay taxes. Can you think of any others? I'm sure there are.

It's just that it would be easy to yell loudly, 'No More Taxes!" But the truth is, they are essential to some extent. Do I think that my monies are spent efficiently and wisely 100% of the time? Not really. And that is really disappointing. It makes raising taxes more unpalatable when I think they are not being as careful with their budget as I have to be with mine. But I will also not drift into the complainers corner and be ungrateful for the services they provide either. Especially since I have to pay them, like it or not.

Some Friday Funnies...

2011-01-28T07:57:00.002-05:00

I haven't stopped my picture taking ways, I've just been too busy to post I guess. These two speak for themselves. She thought she was pretty hot stuff.

At a recent Dinner Night my nephews brought over their X.BOX and Adalyn thought this was a great thing and has now put one on her Birthday list. There are many buttons to press on these things and

no one seems to mind if she whacks them.

Ripley(my brother's German Shepherd) came over too so he and Possum could frolic in the snow together.

And this is Max. Maximus is his full name. After giving the bottom shelf of the china cabinet over to the girls to decorate, I thought he fit right in. The girls love this dog(but if it weighs less than my cats, do we still call it a dog?) They can carry it around and it likes it. Not so much with Possum. It was an interesting mix of animals to say the least;)

Our good friends Eric, Barb and their son Nathen.

And somehow this picture ended up as my desktop when the night was over. I love our dinner nights, and the busier we get, the more I feel like I need them.

I will admit that there was about a 45 minute excursion where Barb, Tia and I went to this house and sat in the driveway for a good 30 minutes. This house is about 5 minutes away from me. I love this house. I walked through it during an open house with all 3 girls and fell in love. The mudroom is the size of my kitchen. I wanted to buy it before I even saw the rest of it. I am trying(very hard I might say) to get Kurt and Tia to buy it. They are looking to move so it seems like perfect timing. I've even offered to move my family in with them as a sort of utopian communal living situation. I'm not sure if that last bit was helping or hurting my cause. Right now they live a whole, long, drudging hour away. This is truly unacceptable and I am trying to get them as close to us as possible. There are no houses for sale on our street but this one is close enough;) It is a fantastic price and has a lot of acreage for a suburban location AND Wegmans is only 5 minutes away! This should really be on their short list. Like, the only one on the list actually.

Happy Birthday Christina!

2011-01-27T15:03:00.000-05:00

To my very lovely, smart, inventive, supportive, fantastic ASIL, have a truly wonderful birthday!

Opportunity

2011-01-21T12:39:00.000-05:00

As I write this, I'm not sure I will even post it. Remember Him? Tsegaye Mamush, our Ethiopian adopted 'son' through Compassion International. He is 22 now. He has aged out of the Compassion program. Something we were expecting. But when I got the 'official' call the other day, informing me that he was done, I was stunned. And embarrassingly teary with the woman as I asked her many questions.

How will he complete his final 2 years of vocational studies without the programs' support? Who will pay for it?  She wasn't sure.

Ethiopia has a very high unemployment rate(30% for his age bracket) so if he doesn't finish school, how will he get a job? She didn't know.

His last letter mentioned his Grandmother was ill. Will he have to care for his younger sister instead of school? How old is she and is she supported by Compassion?  She could not answer.

I am finding it hard to let go of someone I have never actually held.

So in my emotional state I threw an e-mail to my friend. She knows people. Actually, she was lucky enough to meet Tsegaye in our stead. Maybe she knows a way.

Compassion allows for a last gift of money that will go to the child 100%, however, his area is so poor, how safe would that money be with him? How could a young 22yr. old make it last for 2 years?

My friend knows someone, he is trustworthy, but busy, very busy. She advises it would be better to pay the school than to just hand over a large amount of cash to Tsegaye. But it is hard to arrange by e-mail. Ethiopia, it seems, does not work like that. It works better face to face.

My friend is going in May, and has invited me along. There, I could arrange things for him. Ensure as best I can, that he finishes school. Meet him and his sister and Grandmother. Have a cultural guide.

I cannot imagine leaving my girls. (I cannot imagine telling them I am leaving either) I am typically not so good without them. I am ok for the first few days, but after that I tend to go a little wonky. It's for about a week. What would I do with the girls? Wayne works at 5am. What do you do with 3 kids at 5am? Clearly I would need to either send them to someone else's house, or have someone come and stay while I am gone. And who, knowing the sleeping habits of my baby, would sign up for that?

Here's my dirty secret, I think sometimes, occasionally, every so often, that Motherhood is...boring.  There. I said(typed) it.

sigh

It's just that the consistency that kids require in regards to their schedules is so routine that it makes it hard to have many adventures, at least in the age bracket mine are and have been for the last 8 years. And so I feel like I am lulled into this false sense of living. I know that as they get older, we and they will be up for bigger things. But right now everything is so much the same, day to day. Sometimes, occasionally, every so often, it feels like I might be missing the point.

But what if?

What if I could arrange it and I could part with them for a week. What if I could set this up and finish what we have started with Tsegaye. He has asked in every letter for us to come. The thought makes me teary and nauseous at the same time. What is better for my girls? To stay here and keep their environment constant, or to see me leave to advocate for someone who has nothing? Would they get it?

If all the moons and stars align(that is a big if), would I regret not going? Will I look in the mirror satisfied with the effort I put into this small boy who is now a man. Can I justify the significant money it will take to make it happen? If he were actually my child, would I even hesitate?

All this sounds grandiose as I reread it. But the logistics are daunting. I got panic attacks the last time I scheduled a flight without my brood. Denver will likely cry for a good 2 weeks before I leave, daily. Adalyn still wakes in the middle of the night calling for me, though she would survive, of course, would her fill-in caretaker?? We finally have a beginning to some financial footing, is it smart to use so much of it for this? Is there no other way to arrange it? And how to arrange it with him, a young man with no resources that does not speak English. He has no phone, no e-mail, though I am praying he knows someone who does.

So I will ask you, dear reader, to comment. I hardly ever do that since I'm kinda scared no one will and I'll feel weird pangs of cyber-rejection. But I need the wisdom of elders, or others at least. So even you non-commenters, what do you think? Not that I will be obligated to do as any of you suggest, I want to make that clear. But I have made mistakes in the past in part due to my reticence to share or ask for advice. And this might be too big to mess up.

Corning Museum of Glass-A November Birthday Treat(a little late)

2011-01-07T16:29:00.000-05:00

I have given up on Birthday presents. Well, kinda. To be more specific, I have given up on toys as birthday presents. Believe me, we have enough. Truthfully, I think the toy population procreates at night because I don't know where some of them have come from. So now we tell the girls we will take them anywhere(within reason) they want to go for their birthday. In November, Denver decided she wanted to visit the Corning Museum of Glass. Unfortunately, November and the time between the end of my volleyball season and Christmas went like a blur and sadly, there was not enough time for it. But between Christmas and New Years we managed a day away for it, and I'm so glad we did.

As the birthday girl, we arranged to have her help make her own piece of glass. A sculpture shape that she chose. The glassblower gathered the glass, picked up the frit(colors Denver had chosen for her piece) and worked it in. Denver got to do all the blowing. It was a really neat thing to see her be part of even if it did only involve blowing. I could see her absorb the experience like a sponge.

It was about an hour and a half drive and since we ditched non-sleeping baby with Grandma and Grandpa(thank you), we were really able to focus a bit more on both the older two.

They are finally at an age where museums are becoming more interesting(besides the Museum of Play which doesn't count since it's full of toys). And we saw most of the demos they offered. Since Wayne and I both work with glass, some things we knew, but we still came away with snippets of useful information. And I could tell afterwards that they had really listened. We ended the tour by looking through the gallery and thankfully stumbled upon a 'Glass Detective Brochure' where they had to find a glass piece that matched the shape shown with a few clues to help them along. I doubt we would have enjoyed the last part without it to be honest. Looking is not as much fun as touching for small people.

It was a definite highlight of the Christmas break. It made me so glad we didn't take the easy way out and go with a thing and instead went with an experience. Maybe one of my goals this year will be to give more experiences when I can and less 'stuff.'

Christmas

2010-12-29T11:09:00.001-05:00

Christmas Eve we held our 2nd annual Gingerbread decorating contest. Again the teams were girls vs. boys but after the walloping the girls delivered to the boys for the 2nd year in a row, I think we'll need to even out the teams next year.

Then we packed a ridiculous amount of people in our living room to exchange gifts with those we don't get to see Christmas Day. Not pictured is a most lovely spread of food that I look forward to every year.

Christmas morning started at 5:30am!!! AThe first time it's been so early. We made them go back to bed for a while but really, how well do you think that worked? Luckily Adalyn slept until 10! So at least one of us was well rested for our marathon that is Christmas Day. The girls were delighted by their gifts and I was proud that they really took time to look at each gift before moving on to the next.

Even Possum got some special treats. Which did not last long.

Then to the Kelly Christmas, of which I have shamefully few photos. But was delightful anyhow. We always play the White Elephant Gift game with the adults We almost got to take home the bun and weiner toaster. Ahh, maybe next year:)

Then we finish up the evening at my Aunts house for dinner(a really delicious smoked turkey!) and more gift giving. The girls hand made ornaments for each person this year and they turned out great and they really loved giving them.

Santa and the Reindeer left these cutie towels for the girls and although we couldn't possibly squeeze a bath into Christmas Day, if Santa happens onto this blog, I want him to see the girls enjoying one of his gifts.

2010-12-24T07:27:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas to all!

May your days ahead not include little feet in the ribs.

Or barf on any sheets,

But only the loveliness of family

And the tangible presence of God.

Alone..With Confectioners Sugar

2010-12-23T09:26:00.000-05:00

I just had to step away for a moment. Something to do with the morning rush to the school bus. But this is what I get for leaving a not-quite-2yr.-old alone with a pancake, some utensils, and a shaker full of confectioner sugar.

Note that only about half the pancake was eaten. But the sugar was delicious:)

Here Comes Santa Claus, Here Comes Santa Claus

2010-12-19T22:02:00.000-05:00

Someone got bit by the silly bug!

Snow!

2010-12-11T23:39:00.000-05:00

While I am not terribly excited about the frigid white stuff that accumulates and makes driving and just about anything outdoors hard, these 3 little snow angels are delighted.

Today we even bundled up Adalyn to play for the 1st time since she was too young last year. She got around pretty well despite the snow pants, puffy coat and mittens she wouldn't keep on. She didn't last too long but enjoyed it all the same.

The older two have been out all week in the stuff. Creating imaginary kingdoms and making angels. I swear they beg to go out half the time so they can come in desperate for Hot Cocoa!

So what are three girls to do when there's snow on the ground and no hills in sight?

Make Daddy pull them around in a sled of course!

Fun In a Box

2010-12-09T07:13:00.000-05:00

Kids are awesome in the fact that it really doesn't take much for them to have fun. We do get them some expensive toys but they can have just as much fun in a box. I love that about them. They must have spent a good half hour pushing each other around in that silly beat up box.

Where Does the Time Go?

2010-12-05T06:59:00.000-05:00

Busy. Busy with the everyday life that is 3 girls, 1 dog, 2 cats, and not enough hours in the day. Busy with Christmas preparations so I'm not waiting until the last minute to get those Christmas cards(so far 1 delivered, 99 to go) out the door. Busy with decorations, which are up. Although our Christmas card holder that encircles a doorway looks very sad without any cards on it. Busy shopping, online and in person. Busy trying very hard not to let life slip by so dang fast.

I haven't even posted about the birthday party the girls went to in a pink limo!!! No really!

Or about the parent teacher conferences that went so very well. Both girls excelling beyond their grade. Both model students. Will I ever get tired of hearing good things about my kids from other people? Probably not.

Or about hosting Thanksgiving for the Kelly family. During which I did not take one single photo. 32 people for dinner and I can't remember to take one picture?? Oi.

Work is going well, just really busy. Especially for Wayne who is working 60+ hours a week to try and fill back orders. I would love to post video of the new machines at work but I'm fairly certain my boss would object on proprietary principles. Good help is hard to find and we know that better than most. We still have a hard time finding new, committed, and conscientious employees. So if you like manufacturing(b/c it does take a certain kind of person), don't mind getting dirty, and have an interest in glass, please apply. You may not get rich but at the end of the day you get a certain satisfaction from actually making an object.

I would not have thought that the extra hours for him would be all that harder for us, but it does change the chemistry of a day. Now we aren't sitting down to eat until 6:15 at the earliest. By then, Willa is wiped out and thinking more about sucking on her fingers than actually eating a meal. Denver, who is my type A, has held it together all day but will then melt down over something seemingly insignificant. Ady? Well she's still a crap shoot. Sometimes she eats dinner, sometimes not. Something she loved last time isn't touched the next. Some nights she spends more time running around the table than eating at it.

sigh.

Still I love this time of year. We took the older 2 to see Tangled, their very first movie at a theatre. They were enthralled. Eyes big, greasy fingers from popcorn, completely drawn in. When Denver was 4 1/2 we went to Disneyworld and she freaked at all the dramatic performances and stuff. Just too much stimulation for her. So I was very happy to see her just enjoy the experience. And the movie was really cute too.

I have a few more posts, all half written in my head. For now though I am enjoying a quiet Sunday morning with my coffee and my poor neglected blog. On to the Sunday ads, cleaning, possibly church if we can get out the door, volleyball clinic, dinner with friends, and home to start another week. If I can, I will squeeze in some wrapping, doubtful, but a girl can dream.

Where to Start First...

2010-11-18T15:14:00.000-05:00

Here I thought life would settle down after volleyball. It's been 5 days and I can't seem to catch my breath!

So where to start first...

Well, I will apologize since this will be short. We have some really great things coming up but they require a lot of my time and I am really stealing time from them to do this. But cool thing #1...

Willa got her Library Card! This is a very exciting time for our Kelly Girls. She's been asking but I made her wait until I felt she had really worked 'hard' at printing her name. Poor thing though, as soon as we got home from the library she accidentally ripped a page clear out of a book she had borrowed. The poor thing cried for 10 minutes! But hopefully that will not be the memory that stays imprinted in her brain about the day she got her library card.

Cool thing #2...My new tree was planted this week. A London Plane Tree, which has a cool camouflage look to its' bark. Well, maybe it isn't SO cool, but it is to me. Especially b/c it was 'free.' well, I'm sure our town taxes paid for it but the Town of Greece DPW came and planted it for us after taking down the old Norway Maple that looked more like a modern piece of art than a tree.

And Cool thing #3...we had lovely weather last week. Course, as I write this it's raining and has been for days(good for my tree though). And Adalyn got a chance to play in the leaves. That girls gets cuter every day I swear.

Now, onto prepping our basement to be filled with 22 people on Sunday then 36 people next Saturday. Not an easy task, especially if you knew what it looked like right now. Yikes, I think our junk cavorted when we weren't looking and has multiplied by 10!

Cracking Under the Pressure of Thankfulness

2010-11-15T22:19:00.000-05:00

Sigh.

It was an unrealistic goal. I should have known better than to try and force myself to do it. Like a child being forced to eat something unpleasant, I dug my heels in and spontaneously found myself 'not in a blogging mood.' And why not? All I had set before me was the challenge of being thankful everyday. The problem was that by 'making' myself do it, it made me not want to do it. It made it a chore. Chores inherently, do not make filled with thankfulness.

Ahh, the human condition.

I still have lots to be thankful for but maybe I won't hold myself to posting about it every day. Too much pressure.

Saturday our volleyball season ended when we played the #1 ranked Eden in the State quarter-finals. Ranked #1 in the State, regardless of class.

Sigh.

We've played them before at this same quarter-final match. 5 times in fact. All with the same outcome. They weren't perfect, they were just better than us that day. Our girls played well, maybe at about 85% of their abilities. We really could have used another 10%. But they felt good about their accomplishments this season.

We sat for quite some time as a team after it was over. Tears, of course, but when no one had anything else to say, we all continued to sit. Not wanting to leave. Once we left that huddle, it was done. Goodbyes inevitably follow and one by one they trickle out of the gym, home to be cheered by loving friends and family. But as we sat, postponing the goodbyes, the feeling of...having been part of something bigger than even the sum of its' parts was tangible.

So now I go to work and come home. And it feels strange that there's nothing else to my day besides boring old laundry and diapers and dishes. I know from experience this feeling lasts for a couple weeks and then my time gets filled up with other things. If it doesn't, bad things happen(like 33 vending machines). This year I've decided to coach for a travel volleyball team. So very soon I expect, I will be feeling sufficiently busy. And I suppose now I have no real excuse for not getting my house chores done.

Sigh.

Day 9

2010-11-09T22:40:00.000-05:00

Volleyball again!!! I am thankful for another W that puts us into the State Championship. There are only 8 teams still playing in Class B in the whole state, and we are one of them!

Day 8

2010-11-08T21:38:00.000-05:00

Today I'm thankful for...timing. And for knowing that even though I had just finished telling Adalyn NOT to do this very thing, she went ahead and did it anyhow. And instead of preventing it, which I could have done, I picked up the camera instead and waited. For just the right moment to...click. With Denver and Willa I for sure would have prevented it, at least I'm pretty sure.

Something about that 3rd one. She keeps us hopping. She has a slew of broken things in her wake. Among them; the keyboard to our new computer(taken in and exchanged for a new keyboard. Thank God it was under warranty!), the TV remote(that of course belongs to the cable company not actually the one that came with the tv), the same computer's mouse(awaiting its' turn to be taken in and exchanged while still under warranty). I must say I find it hard not to bust out laughing when I catch her in the act of naughtiness and ask her what she is doing. She looks at the mess in front of her and gasps as if to say, "Oh my gosh, how did that get here?"

Day 7

2010-11-07T20:19:00.000-05:00

Today, I am thankful for a few things. Small things. Like a chance to visit with girlfriends at church. And watching football with my soul mate, even if it was interrupted often by some enthusiastic pretend games involving the kitchen play-set, newly rotated into the living room. And what a relief to have Wayne home for good. Like a deep sigh after a nap, I can feel the whole house relax into normalness again.

Day 5 & 6

2010-11-06T14:54:00.002-04:00

Section V NYS Class B Champions!
The first time ever for Aquinas, and the 4th year in a row for Mike(Varsity Coach) and me.

It didn't quite go as planned. It wasn't our best game to be sure. We dropped the 3rd(playing best 3 of 5) and had to play a 4th, but in the end, we get the trophy so yeah for us:)

All of our kids worked hard this season so they deserve every accolade they get. And I try not to single kids out since this is such a team sport. Even if you took our top 8 kids, what would they be without the other 8 that challenge them daily at practice?

But...there are always exceptions. These three are what I have called my favorite trifecta. And this really has little to do with this year or this win. It has more to do with 5 years ago when I had them with me as 8th graders. It was one of my most enjoyable years due in large part to them and their friendships with each other, their work ethic(even as 8th graders!), their leadership, and their general good humor(a character trait highly underrated!). There's a coach in each of them, should they ever pursue that.

The thing is, when they were in 8th grade, when I put on our coaching glasses(the ones that allows you to see the development of a player in the future), I knew, or hoped, it would be like this.

So today and yesterday I am thankful for our Sectional Title, for the great trifecta, and the coming together of two schools, to make one beautiful season.

Day 4

2010-11-04T22:22:00.001-04:00

Today I am, of course, thankful for my darling Denver. Born 8 yrs. ago today. It was a Monday. We had just finished up volleyball and I had just stopped working, thinking a few days of relaxation sounded good. She had other plans and at 3:21 pm Denver Rene Kelly was born. We watched Monday Night Football that evening. Strange the things you remember.

She is a dear girl, rather type A, must get that from her father:) She is kind and thoughtful, intelligent and creative. And I am oh so thankful to be her Mom.

Day 3

2010-11-03T23:15:00.000-04:00

Tonight, hands down, I am thankful that it is my last night as a 'single parent.' Wayne comes home tomorrow for good and not a moment too soon. This traveling husband routine got old rather fast but for a big chunk of it, I was so heavily involved with my own volleyball team that my mind was occupied. Now that my team has ended(although Varsity continues to rock on), I find that I have 'spare mental time.' And upon reflection I have come to a few conclusions...

I miss him. For all the obvious reasons like help with the kids, and taking the trash out on Tuesdays(something that seems to vex me still, even when he put reminders on my calendar).

I miss him when I'm all jacked up on adrenaline from a game, but have no one to help me decompress and ramble on the way I do sometimes on the way to lala-land.

I miss him on Wednesdays, when no matter what I do, there seems to be a gazillion melt downs and everyone is so unhappy that he is not here.

I miss him at work, where we usually can communicate many times during the day or just glance up to catch each others' eyes.

I miss him when my feet are cold in bed. Why do they take so long to warm up?

We have missed him so terribly while trying to pretend that we were fine. And I am so, so thankful that tomorrow, on Denver's 8th birthday, we won't have to miss him anymore.

Day 2

2010-11-02T22:41:00.000-04:00

Tonight I am thankful for our win in the semi-finals round of our Section of NYS. Finals will be on Friday, where I hope to be thankful then as well. It's been an interesting year at the varsity level. Since we were combining 2 different programs we had a lot of bodies. Of course, not all Nazareth kids came to Aquinas, but a solid group of them did. Altogether we have 13 Seniors. 13. Seniors. Needless to say I won't be keeping much of my starters on JV next year. I was nervous at the prospect of so many adolescent girls. Together. 16 in all. Mind you, we can only play 6 at a time. But they have worked hard and are a solid cohesive team, with few squabbles. So tonight, I am thankful for them and their success. For the ones I've coached since Jr. High, how satisfying it is to see them now, for the ones I missed out on and only get to enjoy this one year, it's been a heck of a year.

30 Days of Thankfulness-Day One

2010-11-01T23:11:00.000-04:00

Boy I sure hope I can keep this up. We are a pretty thankful family in general but still 30 days of a post every day is pushing my limits, so be forgiving if I miss one or two days.

Thankfulness does not seem to be something our culture cultivates, too unglamorous, too non-materialistic. Thankfulness does not come from a store which will automatically make it uninteresting to most of us as a whole.

Even as I write this I have found several items that I wish I could counter with '30 Things I am NOT Thankful for.' (Including the %^&*%^&* animals who reside in my house and leave hair, hairballs, and other disgusting goodies around for me to find. Who also at this very moment are making loud noises after I finally, finally have all 3 asleep.

Who also, not naming names here, just chewed up a doll that I will pray, pray, pray will not be discovered in the trash tomorrow). Instead, see me focusing on our vast blessings.

Seriously, they are many. It's hard to know where to start. I could easily have 30 just this night. But I will start with my top 3...

What would be cool is if I can get 29 more photos to go with them!

Halloween 2010-The Three Little Pigs

2010-10-31T22:16:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we carved our pumpkins. Good thing since this weekend was packed full of Halloweeny fun.

Willa surprised us this year by carving her pumpkin entirely by

herself(ok, a little help with the cap and the scooping).

The festivities then moved on to Friday where Wayne and I went into Denver's class to help with their harvest party and then hep the kids don their Halloween costumes for a small but fun parade.

This year held indoors due to rain:(

Friday night Willa had a Halloween party at a friends house. Ady helped crash the event.

Then Sunday the Three Little Pigs had their last ha-rah for the season. Denver, the brick pig, Willa, the stick pig, and Ady, though hard to tell, was sprinkled with straw, which she did not appreciate. Easy simple costumes. Due to crazy schedules, we were not up for the more challenging request for costumes of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a juice box, and a box of raisins. Maybe next year.

We met up with some friends for some yummy pizza and then we were off to trick-or-treat in the SNOW! Not much more than frozen rain, but still! It made for a shorter trip than normal with wet shoes and socks and freezing cold baby hands since she wouldn't keep her mittens on. All the better to help limit the vast amounts of sugar brought in to the house.

This is Wayne's last week of travel, Thank GOD! Last week was interrupted by my nephew, a new hire training with Wayne, needing an emergency appendectomy in New Jersey. Sleep was not high on Wayne's list and unfortunately had to share space here with an 18 month old who is having a hard time staying in her own sleeping space. But Thursday he will come home and be able to put the suitcase away. Just in time for a little girl's eighth birthday.

Waxing Sentimental

2010-10-26T22:28:00.000-04:00

Another season done. I'm pretty sure we didn't skip September but I don't recollect a lot from it. Maybe some bad volleyball. Thank God it got better.

Forgive me as I take a reflective moment to...reflect. If you're not into sports I guess you can just wait for the next post sure to be filled with adorable Halloweened girls. I shall take this post to bask in the part of me that loves athletics, competition, and passion. It has complete control over me still and to be sure it will until at least Thanksgiving.

I found myself in an unusual mindset Thursday night after our last game. Happy as a clam that Wayne was home, however briefly, but sad and...homesick? That's not the right word but it is the right emotion. Homesick for what I would not have.

I would not have 13 girls showing up day after day, with rare absences, try very hard in their own adolescent way to focus. Focus on volleyball. Oh I know I've gone on and on in previous posts about my love for this sport. If you don't love a sport, you may just not get it. But certainly you loves something. You must know how it is to be consumed by that thing. For 10-12 weeks every Fall, volleyball consumes me.

This group was special. They worked hard(not so special there, lots of people work hard), for the most part were athletic(again, many athletic people out there. Thank God for good genes), but they liked each other. Some were very good friends but did not make it into a cliquey kind of set, like so many young persons are apt to do. They joked, lost patience, were disappointed at times, were confused, were excited and proud. All this they did cohesively. Altogether a lovely group to have. And once they got the hang of winning, seemed to be quite good at it. We finished 8-6.

And it's not that I don't know what I'll do with myself. My time, like 'extra money' is already spent and committed. But this is my one thing that has nothing to do with parenting, runny noses, diapers, PTAs, church, glass... Just me and some kids in a gym with a net and some balls, teaching them how to love a sport.

Adalyn Reading a Book

2010-10-10T07:54:00.000-04:00

We recently(ok, like today) bought a new camcorder. Our old one had battery issues and was over 8 years old. In the world of electronics, I guess that makes it a dinosaur. One of the very first things I wanted to catch was Adalyn 'reading' to Denver and Willa. This is a nightly occurrence. It is hysterical to listen to her babble and inflection as if she really were speaking words.

AQ Pumpkin Carving Party

2010-10-09T18:29:00.000-04:00

Braving adolescents with knives, I hosted my first carving party on Friday. It was a little disconcerting to hear that a few had never done this before as I handed them almost all the sharp knives that I own. And at least one band-aid. Yikes.

There was varying degrees of skill involved. From our Picasso Pumpkin

to the overachieving haunted house.

It was a fun relaxed time for me to enjoy the very impressive girls that I've coached this season. As we finish our last 2 weeks, I find myself wishing I had a bit more time. They are that enjoyable. I'm excited to see the players they become within the short years ahead, which is one of my favorite parts of coaching.

Fire Station Visit

2010-10-05T23:03:00.000-04:00

Last week Denver's class walked to the nearby Barnard Fire Station for a tour and fire safety talk. It was lovely to walk the 1/3 of a mile and Wayne and I were both able to go, along with Adalyn, not pictured, who did not nap during the talk unfortunately, but did while touring the trucks, go figure.

I was amazed at what a difference a year makes. Last year Denver's class could not be still to save their lives. Quiet was always a stillish feeling but never actually silent. This year those kids were attentive and still and 'ready to learn' for the whole 20 minute talk.

They asked good questions and showed a lot of respect. It was very good to see. I think the walk helped get their energy out so they were able to focus better.

We are more than halfway done with the traveling husband routine. He has 2 more weeks left and so do I in my volleyball season. I guess were managing, though without the help from my parents we would be up a creek without a paddle for sure.

I am enjoying my first season at Aquinas and kinda wish I had a little bit longer with them. There are 13 Seniors on our Varsity squad so I know I will be giving up a lot of my kids next year, ready or not. Exciting for me is the launch of our Modified program this year. 21 kids!! Usually I feel like the modified coach and JV coach wrapped into one but here is a chance to build before they get to me. It isn't a cure-all but it's a start. Man, I love this sport.

2010-09-26T21:40:00.000-04:00

Well, I am mid volleyball season and barely have time to breathe, yet here I am typing when I should be practice planning/laundry folding/picking up toys/ wiping down dirt/ starting another load...you get the point. Nothing like the anything-but-that frame of mind.

Wayne has headed out for his third week away. I've been mum up to this point, not wanting to whine, nor wanting to let the world know that we females are alone with only a drooly lab to protect us. Well, the cats too, though I'm not counting on them to help in any strategic defense. I will warn you that I sleep with a knife nearby and my Mama Bear instincts are ferocious. Anyhow, Wayne is in Jersey for 4-6(looks like 6 right now) weeks for training. We both work in glass manufacturing, specifically scientific lab ware. It's cool in a How It's Made kind of way but can be monotonous. Opportunities to travel are very far and few between so it's great that he has this opportunity.

Not so great is that it is smack in the heart of my season, a time when typically I'm the one whose gone all the time and he feels like a single parent. Now we both are gone and Gran and Pop are picking up the slack with some help from Aunt Tia. Mon-Wed, almost the entire 72 hours is like a mad rush of mixed responsibilities. Thursday and Fridays are my days off so I catch a little break there. He gets to come home on Thursday nights arriving around 9ish and heads out early Sunday afternoon.

There are good things....hold on while I try to remember what they are...well, the girls do s.kype with him every night, a few times a night. That has been great so they can stay connected. Plus, we seem to put a greater effort into family time on the weekends since he is not with us the rest of the time. And it makes Thursdays a really happy day.

All you single parents out there, I don't know how you do it and not fall over from exhaustion. I can do it, as we all know, you do what you have to do. But doing it alone isn't as much fun. And Willa came down with a fever this weekend that will hopefully not, but likely will, spread to the other 2. I got my flu shot early this year( for those of you who remember, I had the flu(swine) last year during sectional finals). And promptly after that, started feeling the onset of a cold. I usually pick one up once a season, but truly feel like I do not have time for it this year.

We are so busy that I really have little time to bust out the camera. So here are some pics from our recent past that haven't had any mention as yet...

Elizabeth and Ben Leman, our dear cousins from Virginia, came up for a brief visit to take some furniture back with Elizabeth who will be living off-campus this year. Whatever the reason, we were happy to see them:)

We went to a good friends 2 yr. old birthday party where these cupcakes were served in leu of cake. How cool are they?!?!

And I snapped this lovely pic of my eldest lovely there too. Something about the lighting and her simple smile makes me love, love, love it. She's looking a little less little girl by the day, though still able to fit into her sneakers she wore last Fall, but they're tight:)

Country Fun

2010-09-19T10:00:00.000-04:00

I grew up in the suburbs. It's what I know. I have a strict 'Thou-Shalt-Not-Live-More-Than-15-Minutes-Away-From-Wegmans' Policy.(For you non-locals, Wegmans is the best supermarket ever)

But every once in a while, it is so very good to venture out into the country. In this case it was Perry, NY for an End of Summer party hosted by some friends we met while camping at Yogi Bear earlier this Summer. The girls were running from the time we got there till we dragged them into the car after dark. It was about an hour drive and 30 minutes in they both started pointing out everything that meant we were getting close; the 'blue things'(that would be the distant hill according to Willa), the cows, the goats, the horses, the barns. Just about everything was pointed out and noted as a sign of nearing our destination. To say they were excited was an understatement.

Space. That is the one thing that the country has over my my lovely close-to-Wegmans existence. The house was situated on a lovely hill, surrounded by fields. The two little girls in residence there, were the owners of some super fun things that the girls LOVED!

Starting with this John Deer kid mover. Oh the fun they had motoring all over the yard. Although, you'd have to remind Willa often to look where she was driving, as the spectator in her tended to look around instead of where she was driving.

They also had chickens! Something I've been trying to convince Wayne we could have for about a year now. He has repeatedly shot down my suggestion. On our drive out, I saw a farm that had coops for sale, they looked nice but Wayne wouldn't stop so I could take a closer look:( The chicken were very entertaining, almost like a drive-in theatre.

And speaking of chicken, our hosts made the best chicken ever. I may have to resort to bribery in order to get the recipe.

Also, there was a trampoline. I swear they jumped for over an hour! And they weren't the only ones!

The evening was finished off with glow sticks, hide-and-glow-seek, a campfire, and small scale fireworks(technically illegal but hey, it's the country!) What a fun day, although judging from the meltdowns this morning, we still have a few tired little ones.

1st Day of School

2010-09-10T12:53:00.000-04:00

Off they went, fearless and happy, ready to take on 2nd grade and Kindergarten, respectively. They each had a great first day but Wayne and I were reminded quickly of how painful the first week or so of school is. Oh they are happy enough to go and enjoy it but really melt down quickly at home until their bodies adjust to the new schedule. I had 4 melt downs this morning over silly things(like who got to hold a pencil at the breakfast table. seriously. a. pencil. at. breakfast. No one even had any paper to write on!) and Wayne enjoyed some with them last night too. Oh well, a small price to pay for the enjoyment of learning at school.

This morning was my first day off with the both of them gone and it took about 2 minutes to really relish the difference of having only 1 child instead of 2 home. I got so much done!! Here's hoping that the new schedule will produce a cleaner more organized house and some nice home-cooked meals, even in volleyball season!

Tonight we are participating in Light the Night, a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. So after a shortish practice, most of our volleyball girls will be heading out to walk in honor of our Varsity Assistant, Rick Andre, who is currently battling(successfully) lymphoma. Our whole family is going so we'll see how 2 very tired girls do...

Mealtime!

2010-09-05T10:45:00.000-04:00

We've been enjoying having Ady sitting at the table with us, ditching the high chair altogether for a booster seat instead. One less thing.

But it has provided some serious entertainment during our meal-taking. If you can, try and imagine slurpy corn sucking noises accompanying the above pics.

And ice cream is so very good, we have to make sure we get every

last

drop...

And sometimes the day just wears us out and sleep wins out over food...

Survival in a Blur

2010-09-02T06:49:00.000-04:00

We are ...surviving. I, myself, feel like I'm doing quite well. There is something about being very busy that appeals to me. It gives me adrenaline. Since Wayne is in the mostly childcare roll right now, I'm sure he feels differently. But I love volleyball and love teaching it, and yes, even loving the facilities this school has(HUGE). It is an adjustment. There is a bit more bureaucracy but in all, it is a positive experience and I'm finding the better facilities are letting us do bigger things. Bigger is definitely better.

Of course, then now would be a great time for our fridge to stop working. Discovered one night while icing my shoulder after practice and noted that the ice was wet and melty. Just what we needed. So off to appliance store. Spent and hour and a half looking at fridges while the 3 girls ran around the store opening everything they could. Kids love appliance stores and were for the most part, well behaved. Had fridge delivered only to find that our oldish home could fit the beast but not enough to allow us to open the door. The bottom door part would rub on the baseboard/heat vent as it opened and we could not open it all the way. After hemming and hawing and another trip to the appliance store, we decided to keep the big beauty for its' extra 4 cu.ft. of space. Wayne cut the cabinets to give us the extra 3/4 inch we needed and the world continued to turn, just without 5 coolers in my kitchen:) Nothing is ever easy.

Monday this week I had my volleyball girls come over after practice for dinner and some t-shirt decorating. A fun, loud group as any group of 14 adolescents would be. There was much texting(I'll have to consider electronic rules) and giggles. For any out-of-towners, we are in a bit of a heat wave. 90's all week. The gym has been HOT! And so it seemed a perfect night to build a campfire, and make s'mores. Well, at least it's a memory they won't soon forget. S'mores in 92 degree weather. yum.

We made a pasta sauce, each member of the team dropping an ingredient into the pot. Lots of individual ingredients combined to make a very tasty sauce. Very much like the way a team functions. So many different personalities combining to make something special.

We are managing, though the days feel like a blur sometimes. Tonight is our first game so I will get a better idea of what they know and don't know, or I will see a lot of deer in the headlights:) Like any coach, I wish my practices were an hour longer. Wayne does not carry that same wish so we settle for 2 1/2 hrs. long. I can't imagine what it will be like when Wayne leaves for Jersey, I'm really trying not to think of it. For now, all is well, just very very busy!

A Tiger and a Puppy

2010-08-23T02:14:00.000-04:00

We went to the zoo Saturday night(sans camera). They had face painters there and the girls decided to give it a try. Really fantastic! Willa was roaring everywhere! The funniest part was when we got home, Possum did his not nice bark and his hair stood up. At which point we told Willa to stop roaring because it was scaring the dog:)

One Week Down

2010-08-20T08:55:00.000-04:00

We have almost survived our 1st week of Volleyball. On my days off(I only work 3 days), it doesn't seem bad. But on the days I work, oi, it feels like a marathon! But so far so good. A nice group of girls. Unfortunately, 17 is too many for me to handle well. So today will be cuts. Unpleasant, but necessary. I just try to remind them that in 20 years, they may win the Nobel Peace Prize and still get cut from v-ball, so they should try to keep a good perspective.

Last weekend the girls were invited to a birthday party at a stable. With Horses. Big horses. This was worrisome a little to me. Visions of 2 hysterically crying little girls thrashing about on top of a horse were threatening my excitement for the dear little girl whose birthday we were to celebrate. Last year D & W were both given opportunity for the slowest horse ride ever and they both turned it down flat. But this time they told me they were going to do it and were all fired up about it.

They did great! After D got off her horse she said, "Mommy, I want a horse!" To which I sadly informed her that our tiny yard could not possibly support one. She then told me, "Then I want to live here!" Not to worry, she still resides with us:)

The stable played Red Light, Green Light with the kids ON THE HORSES! So fun. And the kids got to feed them and it was a really neat time for my little suburban girls.

Animal Cracker Wednesday

2010-08-11T20:17:00.002-04:00

The Calm Before the Storm

2010-08-07T07:43:00.000-04:00

We are in the quiet before the storm here. The week before my volleyball season starts. On the 16th, my season begins and it is a 12 week marathon for our house. Every weeknight is filled with practice or a game. Always before season starts I wonder how I can possibly fit it in and when it's done, I wonder what I used to do with all my free time. But there is a certain adrenaline that comes with each new season, a fresh start, a chance to impact young people. I love this sport and I love to teach others how to love it too. And I will admit, it is a chance to do something that does not involve diapers or little runny noses, cute as they can be(the noses, not the diapers).

Wayne typically has his hands full picking up the slack. This year, however, we found out he will be traveling for business for at least a month, up to 6 weeks. He'll be home for the weekends, but gone M-Thurs. I'm so excited for him to try his hand at this new thing for our company(for those of you who don't know, we both work for a scientific glass company). But the thought of him leaving during season has me doing some audible gulping. It will work out, I'm sure, with a lot of help from my folks as always, and a few favors called in from some friends too, I expect.

I will be coaching for Aquinas Institute this year, new for me since my beloved Nazareth Academy closed. It is a bigger school than Naz was and has boys(Naz was ladies only for the high school). AQ has fantastic facilities though and I'm looking forward to a slightly bigger draw than the last decade has provided. For those interested, you can find our game schedule on the above link.

This week will be spent relishing the "free-time" I have left while furiously trying to get errands done before next week. I will savor every evening where the only thing I have to do is feed and bathe my babies and veg out with Wayne while we wait for Adalyn to be tired(11pm last night).

2nd Annual Tie-Dye Party

2010-08-05T06:58:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, seems like a long time now, we had our 2nd Annual Tie-Dye party.

Tie dying is an addictive affair, which explains some of the wardrobes of the 60's. Once they got started, they probably couldn't stop. I know the feeling.

I had my hands full so the photos are minimal, but a fun time was had by all. New this year, we made our own chalk. Plaster of paris, powdered tempura paint and water, combined and then poured into dixie cups and Viola! A very easy and fun craft that anyone could do. I found the recipe a few places and if you google it, you will see some of the options.

Thanks to all who came out for it and we look forward to next year to try some more fun things!

Happy Graduanniversary

2010-08-01T22:32:00.000-04:00

On Saturday we headed out to the Conesus Lake area(about an hour South of Rochester) for two family parties. A graduation party for Wayne's nephew Matt. He is headed off to Ithaca College with hopes of eventually having a syndicated sports column. He also is an Eagle Scout, something that takes many years of commitment to achieve. We wish him the best of luck on all his endeavors!

The second party was for Wayne's sister and BIL who were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. A happy party filled with a huge bonfire and some four wheeling for the brave and play-clothes dressed attendees.

You may wonder where the stars of the shows are. Hmmm, so I should have listened to my Aunt when she told me to get a back up battery b/c one day I would forget to charge mine and I would be left camera-less. This day was Saturday. I managed to snap a few cute ones before the juice ran out. Unfortunately, they do not include the Graduate or the happy couple. So you are stuck with my lovelies with Conesus Lake behind them...

And (one of) Wayne's brother's kids and ours, all together on the swings. 6 in all! Yikes, when did that happen??

So Congratulations Matt and Happy Anniversary Mary and Rob!

Christmas in July at Jellystone

2010-07-27T18:51:00.001-04:00

As if July was not fantastic enough, my ASIL(Almost Sister In Law) treated us girls to an extended weekend at Yogi Bear's Camp Jellystone Campground. It's a super-fun campground geared for the 4th grade and under set. My brother and ASIL own a tow behind camper that can sleep up to 8 so the 5 of us were quite comfortable.

The theme of the weekend was "Christmas in July" and we met up with some friends while there that made our time even more special. We even set up a Christmas tree and other decorations too. Some people even brought their wicker deer! And much to the delight of all children present, Yogi-Santa stopped by and deposited stockings and other small gifts.

It was my first time in their camper, and I must say that it is luxury itself compared to a tent! Air conditioning, heating, stove, potty, all within feet of your bed! I could get used to this.

The campground also featured a water park, complete with water slides and water guns and just enough other spraying things to minimize how many pictures I could take due to errant spraying.

Adalyn loved the water park, where she could greet only the water on her own terms. She hated the beach(still) and only tolerated the pool.

She was in heaven though, getting to sleep with me for all 5 nights. However, the camper is not baby proof nor was it designed with curious toddlers in mind so much of the first few days involved trying to keep her away from touching inappropriate things.

The last night our companions set up a projector and put on Frosty for the kids to watch. We even had use of a golf cart, which the kids got to try their hand at steering it. The morning and evening boasted Hey, Hey, Hey Rides. Where a energetic college student led the group in songs and loud yelling.

Unfortunately, the weather was uncooperative, raining a lot. Not a light sprinkle either. More like torrential downpours. I was very grateful(for like the 100th time) that we were in a camper. But it did leave me feeling strangely s'more-deprived since campfires were impossible some nights.

Also unfortunate was that each of my girls got sick. They were never all sick together. But Willa got a 24 hour high fever/barfy bug, Adalyn picked up a low fever cold, and Denver got the high fever(no barf) version of Willa's sickies. I can only hope we did not pass it on to our companions. It made for a challenging weekend, though I still would call it successful. We came home extremely tired, which I think is the sign of a good time.

The Last of the Vacation Pics(I'm almost positive)

2010-07-19T20:09:00.000-04:00

So I need to wrap up our vacation retrospect. If for no other reason but that life keeps happening. And there are pictures to go with these current events that refuse to wait. So here, one last time, are some vacation pics and a few stories to accompany them...

This is Sue. She is my Almost SIL's Mom. Many thanks for her help with the baby especially. Her husband spooked Adalyn at first. I'm not sure why, but it might be that he was 10 times the height of her. She would run one way until she spotted Ron and then you could almost hear her put on the brakes. By the end of the week she had stopped running away and even bestowed some shy smiles on him.

My Mom kayaking! My Mom is not a fan of water but had a fun "trying new things" attitude that week and this was on her list. Actually, there was a quiet wildlife reserve that we paddled out to. Tall reeds full of birds. On the bank we saw a snake working on a meal of I-know-not-what. We also glimpsed an otter of some sort.

It seems a tradition to bury Tyler so here are my brother's 4 lovelies burying their brother.

The Napping Pictures

Adalyn was sick for the first few days; a low grade fever, no appetite, crabby, crabby, crabby! Her first visit to the ocean and she pooped out on us. I can see just looking at her face that she wasn't feeling well. When she finally kicked it, she was like anew baby. So much better.

Who doesn't like to curl up with a couple dolls?

On our brief trip to the boardwalk, Willa conked out within minutes. She was running on empty all week!

Other Favorite Pics

Denver seemed to be entertaining herself for a while when I snapped this pic. I could hear her voice but couldn't quite make out her words. I snuck closer and heard her orchestrating contests between waves about which one was going to win by making it on shore first. That's my first born, she thinks she can direct anything and anyone!

I love this pic b/c the wave is so close to crashing behind her and she has no idea! Waves were not tons of fun for Willa. Her little 40 lbs. body was intimidated by the greatness of the ocean waves.

Goggle Girl!

She wore these goggles all the way down to the OCean. Then when we opened the door to get out, she took them off and handed them to me. Honestly don't know what that girl is thinking sometimes!

At the house hangin'.

I took these our last day at the beach. She was happy as long as we were holding her. Eventually I took her back to the house to hang out with Gran.

I was trying to get a shot of the 3 of them together on the beach but Adalyn was balling so profusely I could only take one from behind. Ah, well. There were quite a few shots I didn't get, but you can't get them all.

So that concludes my vacation posts but forgive me if a few pics creep up here and there.

Happy Fourth of July

2010-07-17T08:28:00.000-04:00

For the 4th, we spent the day in the pool and on the beach. After we dragged the kids out of the pool, I put them in adorable red, white and blue outfits. They were exhausted, but consented to try for a photo. Try they did, Adalyn apparently did not get the memo on the photo and would not sit for it. I have a few more pics along the same theme.

This was also the end of Willa for the night. Shortly after this picture was taken we found she had tucked herself into bed for a rest. I absolutely could not wake her for dinner and only barely got her to open her eyes for the fireworks. She really slept through most of it.

The house was situated on Back Bay, and lucky us, they set off their own fireworks on the 4th. So we viewed the spectacle from our back porch, ridiculously close to the launch site. This spooked the girls a little so we moved inside and all 3 fell asleep on me while the show finished and we 'watched' from behind the glass door.

Crabbing

2010-07-16T09:34:00.002-04:00

At dusk, the crabs came out. Thousands really. Skittering in their sideways movements down to the water to feed and back to their little holes. Armed with flashlights we headed down to see what we could find. I'm hopeful I didn't step on any, but there were a lot and I don't want to think about the curious crunching sounds I hear on occasion during our hunt..

The brave boys would pick them up, collecting sand bucket full of large disgruntled creatures. Though in the dark, they weren't the most photographic creatures so I'll spare you the remarkably blurry pictures I took of these crustaceans.

Denver loved the crab hunting although Willa seemed to be spooked by their crabbiness.

Denver, at 7 1/2, seemed to be transitioning from one of the 'little girls' to trying to be a big kid. Of course, it was only a partial transition. She still needed us a lot, but definitely less than in vacations past. And I caught her sneaking up behind Willa in the pool and shoving her forward with a giggle. Willa took it in the good humor it was meant but it struck me at the time as something my brothers' kids would do. And I remember thinking, 'Wow, she's trying to be like them, like a big kid.' Not a bad thing since I adore my nephews and niece. And they certainly do more than shove each other around, at least I'm pretty sure they do:)

Out and About..Well, Almost

2010-07-14T21:49:00.001-04:00

On Wednesday we decided that we had secluded ourselves long enough and wanted a taste of Virginia Beach, Tourist Style. It was a great idea in theory. In actuality, it was HOT, HUMID, and unpleasant. Even on the boardwalk, there was no breeze. I find this picture kinda funny since most of us look miserable. I was trying(unsuccessfully) to get everyone to pose like the statue. (Truly, it would have been a fun picture). I have since been informed that we chose the wrong time of day and the evening is the better time to visit the boardwalk.

Oh well. It's a funny memory in that it was so bad. Seriously, $10 per car(3 cars total) for parking that lasted a total of 1 hour. Long enough to take the above miserable picture, walk less than a 1/4 of a mile and turn around, get ice cream and try to salvage the day.

But salvage we did. We visited the Aquarium. The girls enjoyed this a great deal.

I think most everyone else was wilted and done with anything that did not involve excellent central air and/or the pool. But we mustered through(along with everyone else in VA Beach) the almost cool aquarium. The big highlight was the Stingray tank.

There they got to touch the Stingrays swimming in the pool. Very Cool. Adalyn, however, had her own ideas and a nap sounded like just the thing. Hey, who doesn't want to kick back and take a snooze in an aquarium..

I will say a big Kudos to our group though. Having so many with us made our workload as parents significantly lighter. And it would not nearly have been so pleasant a trip without everyone's help. My brother's awesome kids would take/entertain the two older girls(which they loved) and the adults all pitched in with Adalyn. Sometimes watching her so Wayne and I could do the Ocean thing, or join the older two girls in the pool or the kayak. So thanks to everyone in our group for all the help.

Parasailing

2010-07-13T20:02:00.000-04:00

During our stay in sunny lovely, VA Beach, a few from our party decided to show their bravery by going parasailing. I prefer more subtle ways to show my bravery(like with my feet firmly planted on the ground) so I rode the boat as a photographer only.

It was rather neat the way they did everything from the boat. Harnessing and then speeding off and the riders gently gliding to the top.

Altogether we had 7 riders. Above is Mikayla and Mikey-Poo, who I'm pretty sure is using some colorful language at the moment this shot was taken. You could choose to be 'dipped' if you wanted. When they explained this, they said they would dip your toes in...

This looks like a tad more than toes to me, but the kids enjoyed it.

And Now, the Moment You've All Been Waiting For...Proof that My Parents Parasailed. Shocking all their children and grandchildren for sure!

Everyone enjoyed the parasailing, although not everyone enjoyed the boat ride over choppy waves. I don't want to mention any names(Kurt, Mom) but a couple individuals may have tossed their cookies overboard. I can't poke too much fun since I was not too far behind them if the ride had not ended when it did.

Mikayla even got to drive the boat back to shore and I'm not saying that contributed to anyone's seasickness or anything. I'm just throwing the possibility out there.

It was fun to watch but reminded me that my stomach may not be cut out for a speedboat. Wayne had already parasailed before so he stayed on shore with Adalyn. The girls rode the boat with us and seemed to like the ride, although by the end they were so quiet I wondered if they would join the 'toss your cookies club.'

But their tummies held and we came home on shaky but happy legs.

The Jumping Pictures

2010-07-12T20:31:00.001-04:00

Airborne!

The boys made up a catching game with a tosser in the pool who tossed 2 balls and you got one point if you caught 1 with 2 hands, 2 points if you caught 1 with 1 hand, and 5 points if you caught both balls.

This is my favorite picture from our trip!

Crazy as it may sound, I wish I had taken more pictures. As the week progressed and I got more tired, I kinda pooped out on the picture taking. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of great shots to come. But I do wish I had taken pics or video of the 'fun with flotation devices' on the last night. Nothing could replace a picture of some of the events on that crazy night!

Virginia Beach Family Vacation

2010-07-11T22:49:00.000-04:00

Last week we vacationed in Sunny Virginia Beach. I am too tired and it's too late to recap every lovely thing. But I will start by posting a few pics of the major things that amused us.

The Atlantic Ocean.

Here was our first morning and the girls wanted a ride on the golf cart that came with the house. So we rode over to the beach to put our barely awake toes in the ocean.

We did some body-boarding(soo, so fun!) and played in the never ending sandbox of the beach.

We had quite the setup when we were altogether. The parents(mine and Tia's) weren't too big on the ocean but enjoyed watching the kids have fun.

Adalyn wasn't too sure about the whole beach/water/waves thing. She did warm up a little to the idea but seemed to have more fun yelling at the dogs(Possum and doggy-cousin Ripley).

The other big occupier of time was the pool at the house. Here I think the girls may have grown gills, they were in it so much. Honestly, instead of packing 2 outfits a day for them, I should have just packed a few total and 10 bathing suits each!

By the end of the week, Denver was swimming entirely without her swimmy bathing suit and Willa was practicing without it 75% of the time. They loved it! The morning we left Willa woke up crying b/c she wanted to go in the pool. Oh, to have a bigger yard. After watching them swim so much I would be tempted to put a pool in if only we had the space!

I will post more later about our time. Right now the sleepy-bug is biting and work awaits me in the morning.

Tsegaye Mamush-Our Ethiopian Son

2010-06-30T09:35:00.006-04:00

Now this is amazing moment for us...

For a long time, since 1995 to be exact, we have been sponsoring a child through Compassion International. We've had the same boy during that whole time period. His name is Tsegaye Mamush and he lives in Ethiopia. We got him when he was 6 and he is now 21. During the years, we have written him and he has written us. We've sent him pictures of our family and received pictures of him. His writing, the last few years, has revealed him to be a kind thoughtful person, who has a deep faith in God.

Close friends of ours, Jeremy and Amanda, were going through the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia and I asked them, on a wing and a prayer, if they might visit our sponsor child for us. They would be staying in the same city as Tsegaye and after conferring with Compassion, we were able to set up a meeting. Our family shopped for Tsegaye here, picking out a nice bracelet and had it engraved and sent along to Jeremy to take.

I can't believe they were so generous with their time, spending 2 hours with our child and taking him shopping for a new soccer ball too. Here was some of Amanda's news for us:

He really loves you guys. I hope you know how much your writing has supported him through the years and how much he values the photos you've sent. He said he fears two things in life: 1. Losing his grandma (who raised him) and 2. Losing you as his sponsors.
He was very genuine and got teary a lot. Tried to be tough but it didn't work. He hugged us a lot and kept saying (through the translator) that he was so thankful you sent us to visit him. He said that when he was a little boy at first he didn't understand the value of being sponsored but through the years he has realized how fortunate he is. He is currently in office equipment training. Something like that. But says chances of work are not great. He plans to help take care of his grandma as she ages. he said he cooks for her. he has a little brother and sister that don't live with them but who he is close to. He loves soccer and basketball. We asked which ball he'd prefer and he chose soccer. Nice that there was an awesome sports store in the "mall" we were eating in.

It was a really sweet visit with a great guy and we were so happy to do that for you guys.

Shopping for him made him more real to me. His letters, of course, made him real but touching and picking out something that he would wear was an emotional process for me. Through technology, the world has become so small, but in a third world country, he still seems so far away.

He will be aging out of the Compassion Program but the great news is, that we will likely be able to maintain contact with him. We will sponsor another child, but I will always feel a special connection to Tsegaye. And I could never thank Jeremy and Amanda enough for sparing the time to meet with him. Bless you both and your newest member!

Congratulations Mikeypoo!

2010-06-29T10:21:00.000-04:00

My nephew graduated from High School last week. The same nephew I took down to the beach at age 4. And while at the beach, he roared like a dinosaur at people passing by. I wish I had a picture of that. But now he's graduated high school and I am left wondering where all the time went.

I got to make his graduation cake, as I've been experimenting with cake decorating lately. (Ya' know, in my spare time).I was pretty happy with it, but of course, it didn't come out like I'd planned. What's that they say about best laid plans? But I got to try out some new fun things like pearl dust and an impression mat. Fun, and I was happy to do it for him.

In the middle of typing this post I went on an all-out scavenger hunt for a particular photo of Mikeypoo with his siblings. Thus making this post take 2 hours instead of the 15 minutes I had planned. Ahh, what's vacation without distractions anyway? I found the negative but lost my patients with the scanning process. However, I found these gems from oh-so-long-ago. They make me smile. I am having so much fun I will have to force myself to stop otherwise I will not get anything done today! (It is taking a monumental effort to stop BTW)

Michael, or Mikeypoo as we fondly call him, is an awesome young man now. I think the thing about him that stands out to me is that he is kind. OK, not necessarily to his 3 other siblings, but especially to small children, like mine. He holds their hand, plays with them, carries the baby, moderates language usage around them, and is very good sort of person. Plus, he's funny and fun. I'm looking forward to our vacation at the end of this week where we've rented a beach house together as a whole family. My happiest Congratulations to him and I wish him every ounce of health, happiness, and success for his future!

Not Yet

2010-06-28T09:25:00.000-04:00

Clearly, we are not ready for potty-training just yet.

If you notice, she has a bright red blotches on her face, shoulder, back, arms, legs, everywhere(although you actually can't see too many in these photos). Hives. Lots and lots of them. A patch will blossom and then go away 15 minutes later only to have another batch pop up somewhere else. We're not really sure what they're from, but hoping that they are just about done. At least they aren't bothering her so I've been able to get away with Benedryl only at night. Never a dull moment with this one!

Barnard Fireman's Parade

2010-06-26T08:54:00.000-04:00

Our family tradition, longstanding since before I was born, is to go to the Barnard Fireman's Parade in Greece. It is really the only parade and carnival we ever went to.

Community. That is what I didn't realize it was as a child.

I liked it because my Dad would pop popcorn and stow it in bread bags for us to munch on while we watched. A tradition he continues. I liked it because sometimes the people walking would throw candy at us and we could scramble just a bit into the street to pick it up. I liked it because of the marching bands and color guards and the too-loud sirens of the firetrucks. I didn't understand then why I had to stand for the Vietnam Vets, but now insist that my own kids stand too.

We have gone to this event almost every year of my life and the memories tend to bleed into one another. But there is always the carting of lawn chairs to the house where we have relatives that afford us a front row view. There is always carnival food the night of the parade, supplied generously by my Dad, who seems to revel in the entire night.

There is always someone from High School and now, strangely, there are always kids from my children's school. In fact, they knew more people than I did. I'm not sure what that says.

And there is always Family.

Last night we went and did the rides with the kids. Willa was finally tall enough(by a hair) for all the rides she wanted to go on. The girls both ran into some friends from school to make the evening even more enjoyable for them. Adalyn enjoyed the sharing of the snow cones a great deal. (She is still fighting a mild case of hives from God-Only-Knows-What.)

A fun way to start our 2-week vacation!

Willa Graduates Pre-K

2010-06-22T07:40:00.001-04:00

Willa attended the UPK in Greece this year. She attended a Christian Preschool last year too but this years program was everyday(half days). She also got to ride the bus and it was at the school that Denver attends as well. We were extremely happy with the program. I tried to volunteer a little and was delighted by the children. Kids are so random at that age, willing to tell you stories about a squirrel they just saw, their dog that died, or whatever happens to pop in their heads.

What I admired about the teachers was their ability not to squash the individual. I'm not sure I can explain it well, actually. If you tell me to paint a giraffe, I will try very hard to make a painting that looks like a giraffe. But in a classroom of small persons, the image of a giraffe is very subjective. And I just loved all the encouragement, caring, and support I observed for all the "giraffes". After all, my greatest desire out of a preschool for my child, is the that they leave with the feeling that school is fun and they want to go back.

Willa is very bright and is excited for Kindergarten. I think if she could start in Kindergarten next week, she would.

For the graduation, the kids sang a few boisterous songs, got their diploma, ate snacks and spent a good deal of time playing on the stairs in the library. Gran and Pop came and Adalyn behaved reasonably well. However, she did not want to pose for a picture with the Graduate.

Strawberries!

2010-06-14T17:13:00.001-04:00

Well, I did manage to pick my berries and get to some jamming. Forecast be darned. We usually go to Burch's Farms in Hilton, for you locals. Very sweet berries and he told me that he needed to spray a fungicide just once, no pesticides, no fertilizers. Yeahhh! Not quite organic but it could be much worse. Wayne helped me pluck 10 lbs. of ruby deliciousness. That is a lot to process at one time but it's done. And I'm not ruling out a second round(we eat A LOT of PB&Js around here).

Adalyn was more interested in the eating, than the picking. I managed to get 4 batches done while she napped and 2 later that day after the girls had come home. Getting the 2 batches done with 3 children felt like twice as much work as the 4 batches did. Ahhh, parenthood
And look, a rare photo of the photographer!

The jam came out terrific. All 22 jars! But it will go fast as I tend to give it as gifts too. So perhaps next weekend I could squeeze in just a few more batches.

Catching Up, or Maybe Not

2010-06-13T08:42:00.004-04:00

We've had a nearly childless weekend. My Almost SIL took the older 2 camping at Yogi Bear Campground. They were very excited and I'm looking forward to hearing about all the things they did when they get home tonight.

I had great hopes for this weekend. Compiling list upon list of things that have been ignored that I was sure to get to while they were gone.

**Sigh**

So here, just to keep humor and humility in my life I will jot down some of the things I was hoping to accomplish...

Thoroughly clean the girls room. Throwing out all papers and cheapy McDonalds-type toys that are probably made with ghastly ingredients.
Scour the upstairs bathroom.
Clean, clean, clean.

Install new French Doors here(this wasn't on MY list but we were hoping that the timing gods would help us out and that all the parties needed would be able to get it done while the 2 were gone). Hopefully this week. Which makes me excited and nervous all at the same time.
Completely clean and organize the office.
Catch up on laundry.
Produce many batches of Strawberry Freezer Jam

**Sigh**

Did I mention it is our 12 yr. Anniversary?? 1 dozen years with my soul mate, whom I am still in love with and like an awful lot.

Instead, I kicked off the weekend with a fairly good sized allergy attack triggered by volunteering at Field Day for the girls. So fun(Field Day, not the allergy attack). The rope swing was a big hit and in general, it was a really festive time. They had a DJ there and all the kids were dancing.

I'm spending the rest of the weekend fighting the allergy monster so maybe it's a head cold, hard to say.

We spent yesterday doing a little shopping and out for lunch while the Curly Haired Monster was at my folks' house.

Then the Curly Haired Monster wasn't sleepy until 11:30 last night, at which point we were almost asleep before her.

And now as I type this, I will stay home from Church, while Wayne goes, to let the little beast sleep. If there is time, I may try some jam. IF, that is, the rain forecasted does not wipe out my picking-my-own ideas.

I did however, finally back up my photos onto CD's. A project desperately needing to be done, but in this case definitely more of an anything-but-cleaning activity.

My girlfriend told me a quote from Phyllis Diller(sp?):

"Trying to clean your house while your children are young is like shoveling your driveway while it's still snowing."

Well, that makes me feel a little bit better. Not much.

We have been busy, so maybe a break from running at full steam was necessary. We had the girls recital last weekend, very fun and cute.

Denver's teacher came too and made Denver so happy.

I had my last Nazareth Sports Banquet(sniff, sniff). I still can't believe they decided to close such an awesome school. I know, I know, $$$, but still, those kids are just great. It will be hard to duplicate that atmosphere.

And so here I sit, blogging. Again, I think we can safely chalk that up to the anything-but-clean theme that I seem to be following this weekend. Would I the cash I would gladly hire a maid. Until then, no more excuses, it's off to the housework I go.

Nana and Papa's Playground

2010-05-29T23:06:00.001-04:00

My In-Laws live next to an Elementary school. This is fabulous for the girls since they now know they get to play on that schools' playground. Nana and Papa live about 40 minutes away so it was a bit of a drive, during which, some silliness occurred from the eldest and youngest factions.

The middle faction was otherwise occupied by her dreams.

We had a great visit actually. Relaxing and fun for the kids. Even though 40 minutes isn't long, we don't get to see Mom and Dad as much as we'd like so it was nice to spend some good time with them.

An evening to remember, and all the kids could ask was when we'd get to go back.

Zoo!

2010-05-25T22:15:00.000-04:00

Today was the Pre-K's trip to the Seneca Park Zoo. Willa was soo excited about going, even though for almost all of last week she was sure she was going to the museum.

She was very happy to be paired up with her best bud from class, whose Mom was also able to go and so it felt like a little play-date at the zoo. We just happened to run into her entire class and teachers as well. We were able to meander at our own pace and stop for snack when little legs wore out and little tummies started growling.

Our zoo here in Rochester, is very walkable. Not soo big you can't handle it in one day with only a bit of whining about being tired.

And I was able to bring Adalyn along for her first zoo experience. She enjoyed the outing and after she was buckled in the car and I had walked around to buckle Willa, Ady had already fallen asleep. Those animals can really wear you out!

What I love about places like this is the wonder it inspires in kids. I have mixed feelings about wild animals in captivity but that is for another time and place. But watching her here, as the sea lion swam so close, only separated by a few mere inches of glass...she was amazed. We should all be amazed more. Like when we first walked into Grand Central Station and the architecture put us in awe. In those moments, I feel small. In a perfectly arranged universe, and rightly so. I could tell today that Willa was amazed, and perhaps she felt a little small next to the elephants and Rhinos. Hopefully she did. Hopefully she will remember that feeling.

2010-05-25T14:51:00.000-04:00

Finding the dog's water unattended is such a treat! Adalyn could not resist soaking her graham cracker in it.

And then, since it had food in it...

she just couldn't resist!

Sweet Randoms

2010-05-16T16:05:00.000-04:00