Pumpkin picking!

We decided to check out a local pumpkin patch on Sunday, like we hadn't had enough activity with Disney and all. So I checked out some places on the Internet and found an organic farm that has activities and a "fabulous pumpkin patch" that was only 15 min away. I'd have to say I was very disappointed. The one thing they lack around here are those big farms where you can get cider, go on hayrides, and pick pumpkins. There is one, but it is 45 min away... forget that. This farm seemed nice, but they barely had any pumpkins, and definitely no hayrides. Nonetheless, it was beautiful outside and we got some good photos. The pumpkins somehow were no good and we'll have to go again sometime soon. It would be a shame to not have any in the house on Halloween.

Nap time!

So I thought that Haley might be getting ready to cut out nap time. Of course, I mostly still love the fact that she still naps, but I have to be home around 12 to get her down before I pick Emily up from school. That usually means that I don't have enough time to finish errands. A tiny little part wishes she would be done (a very tiny part). So today we were out and about and I figured I would just let her skip her nap. Around 3:30 while Emily and I were doing homework this is what I found.

Guess she still needs it! Yay Me!

Disney Vaca!

Well it might not really be a vacation when it is only 2 days, but for us it feels like one, even though it is only an hour drive to Mickey's front door. We had a great trip and exhausted the girls to the point that Emily fell asleep in the stroller (that hasn't happened in 3 years - no joke). The Halloween party was great - we walked on most rides with barely any wait and it is so fun to be at Disney at night... great fireworks, great parade. Friday we went to Epcot and the lines to meet characters were very small, but my strange children didn't really want to meet them. Haley loves them from a far, but wants nothing to do with them up close. Emily was just being goofy and would only meet a couple if I went with her. Here are some pics...

And oh yeah, we decided not to dress up and in the picture below Emily was not punched in the mouth... she had pretzel in it.

What I love about Disney... while we were in line to meet Snow White, this girl who was about 19 to early 20's with Mickey ears on was telling us how Snow White is really hard to find because she only comes out 1-2 times a week for 1 hour. When she got up to the front of the line I was wondering where her child was and watched as she handed someone her camera to take a picture of just her. She wasn't there with a child! SHE wanted to meet Snow White and get her autograph. What has this world come too?

What we've been doing

The girls are growing so fast. The biggest thing we did recently was get Emily's ears pierced. She was so excited and very brave... not a flinch! She's also been very good about cleaning them. Here is a pic of her showing them off.



Emily had school pictures last week and asked me to curl her hair. When Haley saw me curling Emily's hair, she of course wanted me to do hers. It was one of those first time Mommy moments that just makes your heart melt. I wonder how many more times I'll be doing that in the years to come? Here is a pic of the curly hair... a little hard to tell but cute anyways.


I will have lots to share this weekend, as we are going to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party at Disneyworld. I can't wait. I think I may actually be more excited than the girls at this point, but there is something about Disney that brings out the kid in all of us. The question is do I dress up or not?

"You're So Vain"

O.k... so call me vain, but that picture below of the whole family is awful of me. The more I look at it the worse I think it looks, but I wanted to share it because we don't have that many pictures of all of us. I don't know why I look so fat. Is it the camera or the tank-top? I don't know, but I just wanted to make it clear that I don't really look that awful, at least not all the time. Here is a recent picture of me, taken before church, by Emily.

Halloween... Already???

O.k., for those new parents, let me give you a warning... Get your Halloween costumes early! I learned this lesson a couple of years ago when I waited until the week before Halloween and thought that I would be able to find something cute. NOT! I can't figure out what the rush is, but man do they sell out early, especially if your kindergartner wants to be the coolest costume around... HANNAH MONTANA! We went yesterday and the Hannah costumes were already picked over or sold out. Yes I do realize that there will be 100's of Hannah's but Emily is not yet at that age where she cares. She thinks the more Hannah's the better. We lucked out and found one that she likes and I couldn't wait to show everyone. So here is a preview. Haley is going to be Fancy Nancy (a character from little girls books).

What was hysterical about Emily was that she literally turned into a teenager when wearing the costume. She was saying things like... "That's not in fashion", "That's embarrassing", "Haley don't take my mic (as in microphone)." And of course it was all in a sassy tone. When Grandma called during the dance and singing session, Emily told her that it was her "singing lesson" and she has decided that Haley is her back up dancer. Haley plays right along and told Emily that she was "beautiful" in her Hannah costume. I do think she will be the most beautiful Hannah Montana around... just look at her!

The Buckeyes and My Birthday!

So today is my birthday, ugh... 33 years old... What a perfect day! The weather is gorgeous (but hot) and Buckeye football is on. My brother Alan and sister-in-law Gina came up for the weekend and we went to BW3 to watch the Buckeyes. Granted, it is not a big game or anything, but who cares. The girls were awesome, as of right now the Buckeyes are winning, and we are going out for sushi and a night out on the town later. Yeaaaaa! We have a sitter tonight.

Here's a few pics of our afternoon!

What Hurricane?

For Labor Day weekend we had big plans to go to Fritz's Dad's condo for the whole weekend and have lots of fun in the sand and the sun. When we got there on Saturday there was very little sun but we still got a couple hours of pool time in before the rain started. Sunday morning it was gloomy and windy and we thought for sure we would be heading home early and had plans to go to a kids museum instead. We promised Emily we would at least walk down to the beach and collect shells before we left. It turned out to be rather nice and a little bit of sun peeked through. We had good quality beach time and pool time before the rain again started. We had lunch at Gator's on the water and actually got a little sunburned. We decided to leave early anyways cause the girls were cranky and tired and we were expecting another long evening of rain.




I couldn't help but think as we were sitting on the beach about the huge hurricane that was right out in front of us and how lucky we were that we got to enjoy the beach as long as we did. It could be a lot worse.

What's Wrong with this Picture?

As previously mentioned, Emily is allowed to have an Ipod during rest time at school. Fritz went and bought her some headphones that would fit her head, so of course Haley had to have some too.

Nuff said!

An Ipod in Kindergarten???

After reading my friend Maria's post about her daughter's first couple of weeks of school, it sparked some ideas in my mind. Sorry Maria, I'm copying your idea a little...

Emily's first couple of weeks of Kindergarten have been very interesting and eye opening for us.

Emily is the same as Riley for now... loves homework even though she hasn't had much at all yet. She can't wait until next week when it really starts. She did have a project where she had to decorate a little person to look like her. She had to color the hair brown and blond because Emily says she has a little of both and she gave herself high heels... hmmmm??

The most surprising thing to me last week was that she came home and said "guess what Mommy... we can have Ipod's or our Nintendo ds' during quiet time." At first I didn't believe her, but eventually she convinced me and she was right. So over the weekend we taught her to use it and got her some headphones, but.... the first day she lost her privilege to use it because she was talking too much. Like mother, like daughter. I always got in trouble for talking too much.

Emily seems to be making lots of friends and having lots of fun. When I ask what she did at school she says "a lot."

Haley too is learning so much. I taught her how to write an H and she now writes it on everything and says "Me write my name all by myself." She is always singing her ABC's and counting, even if it is in the wrong order.

I just love to see their little minds learning!!!

All Grown Up!

So the day finally arrived.... Emily's 1st day of Kindergarten. If you have read my posts, you know that I have been anxiously awaiting this day and of course having some major empty nestish feelings about it. It was pretty much exactly what I expected.






Despite Emily not feeling very well, she walked right into class, gave me a big hug, and said goodbye. I on the other hand was in a daze. The teacher gave me a little brown bag with a kleenex, a tea bag, and a little letter that made me cry like a baby. I'm sure you can only imagine what it said. And boy did I boo-hoo. I got home and despite the house being a mess, I had no idea what to do next. I made coffee, surfed the net, wandered around a little bit and took a shower. I had a Dr.'s appt. and boo-hoo'd to the Dr. and thought maybe I should get pregnant again... yeah right... that thought didn't last long.


I picked both of the girls up and after about an hour of being home I was ready to send them back! I couldn't remember why I had missed them so much or how I could have been so sad! They resorted to their usual fighting and whining.


That reminds me... as we were leaving for school this morning, Emily commented on how I was going to be alone all day and said "Well, good, at least you won't have to listen to my whining all day." I hugged her and almost broke down in tears right then and there and said "I am going to miss you and your whining today."


Motherhood...... it just breaks your heart sometimes!

Tag - Your It!!!

I've been tagged and I don't have 6 people I even know on here, but I'll participate anyway!

Rules

1) Link to the person who tagged you

2) Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading)

3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below)

4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them (This is only a game)

5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog

6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up


Here we go...



#1 - I love to dance. I have always loved to dance! Whether it was tap, ballet, jazz - you name it I love it! Granted I don't do it much anymore, but every chance I get to dance, I'm there. My dream job always was and will always be to be a dancer... preferably for someone like Madonna or Janet Jackson, etc... Am I a good enough dancer? Hell no! But we can all dream, right???


#2 - The other job I've always wanted to do was bartend. Don't ask me why, but I think it seems cool. Can I mix a drink? Um no! But I could learn...


#3 - I still love to watch cheerleading! Haven't seen it in awhile, but I love that Cheerleading U on I forget what station. Watched it once and couldn't take my eyes off of it. I would love for my girls to be competitive cheerleaders. O.K., except for the injuries.


#4 - Sometimes I feel like the meanest mother in the world because I yell too much. But man, sometimes I don't know what else to do. I lose my patience and talking calmly never works, but some days I have such guilt and a hoarse throat from all the yelling. I hope that my girl's don't always think of me as a screamer. That would break my heart.


#5 - I still feel like a teenager sometimes, because I worry about what others think. I used to love my hair when it was permed, but would I get one now?? No, because I think others would make fun of me, especially at work! Granted I often feel like a teenager at work with all the gossip and girlie stuff going on.


#6 - I often regret going into nursing. Yes, it is a great schedule and flexible and I make pretty good money, but I could make more money doing something else. Nursing is stressful and sometimes a thankless job. You have to work with morons on a daily basis and I feel like it has ruined my feelings for humanity. What else would I do??? I could be Madonna's back up dancer....

Tag, your it!

Meredith: Meredith is my cousin-in-law who has 2 beautiful daughters. I wish we lived closer so I could see them more often. She is an amazing marathon runner (the girl runs a gazillion miles everyday) and a beautiful person inside and out.


Megan: Megan is Meredith's twin sister though they look nothing alike, but yes also beautiful. Megan has a cute little son and is also a marathon runner. I love looking at the pictures on her blog and seeing what is going on in their lives.


Sorry guys, but that's it. Like I said, I don't have anyone else I know on here. Maria tagged me and my other friend Meghan hasn't kept up with her blog, so I am out of options.

Conversation with a now 5 year old...

Emily... "Ouch, I just cracked my nuts!"

Me... "What do you mean you cracked your nuts? Do you mean like a squirrel cracks it's nuts?"

Emily... "No, I cracked my nuts."

Me... "You don't have nuts and where did you here that?"

Emily... "Yes I do and I didn't hear it anywhere."

Me... "Where are they?"

Emily... Points to the back of her butt

Me... "Emily you do not have anything back there except your butt."

It gets dropped for the day because I am too scared to go on.

After a few times of saying it we have a discussion (not too in depth) about how inappropriate that is to say and Emily agrees to not say it anymore.

That same day...

Emily... Sitting down with head going up and down... "Mommy, listen my neck is breaking."

Me... "You mean cracking."

Emily... "Yeah it's cracking like nuts.. I mean like when you crack PEANUTS."

Me... I just give her that mommy look!

This is my beautiful daughter who thinks she has nuts because some little boy at school probably told her so.

Keeping Busy

With summertime here, I decided I would keep the girls home with me everyday that I am off. Since Emily is starting Kindergarten (sniffle...sniffle), I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible this summer rather than have my own quality time (which I need so badly). I knew that having all this girl bonding time would not be easy, so I have tried to plan something almost everyday that we are together. We have had many a playdate with my good friend Maria and a couple with Nikki and my other friend Maria (Emily's friend Sofia and her parents). We have gone to Busch Gardens with my co-worker Meghan. We have plans to go to Busch Gardens next week with a group of us from work and Adventure Island with another co-worker... thank God for season passes! We are trying to plan another pool party with the Bingo Babes and oh yah, I have found some time for Mandy-time... bingo with the girls. Fritz and I will have a babysitter come to our house for only the second time in, I don't know, 5 years to go out with some other couples. I can't wait.

It is great to have so much to do and so many people to have fun with, but somehow the girls are still managing to make me crazy half the time. Emily has been so difficult to discipline lately, but we are really putting our feet down about talking back and not listening. She has been losing TV privileges every 2-3 days (her least favorite thing to lose).

On a more positive note, I have switched Emily to the summer voluntary pre-k program at her elementary school and it is going very well. She is coming home happy and excited. Oh ya, and it is free!!!! Yeah for us! Even if it is only for 3 weeks, I'll take it.

Haley has been going 2 days a week to Riverview Montessori where she will be for the next 2 years and is also doing very well. She lays in bed going over all the new things she is learning. I love it... their brains at work! We hear her counting (and bossing her sister around) for 20 minutes before she falls asleep. The first day that Emily went to her new school Haley cried "sissy not coming" as I carried her into school, clinging to me. I think that both girls have a few weeks to adjust to their new surroundings before real school starts. I'm very much looking forward to this coming year, but it is bittersweet. My babies are getting so big!

Here are some pics of our busy days!

We spent the evening of the 4th of July with our friends Maria, Ryan, Riley and Ronan and some of their close friends at their house and experienced quite a fireworks show from expanding turds, to little trucks that lit up and barely moved, to large beautiful fireworks right above our heads. We all had a great time.

Here are some pics from Busch Gardens. This is Emily and Kelsey (my co-worker Meghan's daughter).

A Splashing Good Time!

We have a beautiful large pool only 2-3 blocks away but it always feels like so much work to get there. Imagine 2 little girls, bathing suits, towels, sunscreen, flip-flops, cover-ups, floaties, noodles, and ... Oh don't forget the pool pass. This doesn't even include what it takes me to get ready. The girls definitely take after their mother in that they love the water. When I was young I was like a fish and would befriend anyone with a pool!

We had Maria, Ronan and Riley over for a little slip and slide action a few days ago and it was entertaining for most of them, but what they loved the most was when I folded it up and a little wading pool was made (by accident of course). Right then and there I decided that I needed to buy a little inflatable pool for those days that I don't feel like traipsing over to the community pool.

It was well worth the $10.00 price tag. The girls spent all afternoon in it and Emily was hilarious. She was wearing goggles and "diving" for objects. Whoooo - pretty hard in 1 foot deep water. Not once did they even mention the real pool!

Yes, Emily was even able to float around in her ring floatie - hilarious!

This last pic is for good measure! I just love, love, love it! My handsome hubby and beautiful baby girl!

Pumpin up the Party!

For those who aren't avid Hannah Montana fans, the title to this blog is from one of her songs! It was also the theme for Emily's 5th birthday party at Pump-it-up. For those who don't know what Pump-it-up is, it is the best place to have a birthday party. It is a large facility with 6 super sized bounce houses/slides. Ask any child or parent who has had one, it is well worth the hefty price. There is no cleaning, very little responsibility, and is just down right fun! We had 20 kids (I was only responsible for my own) and everyone, including most of the parents, had a great time! Emily loved every moment!

This is us after falling off the end of the super slippery slide!

Here is one of Haley - a great action shot! My baby is so brave, she did everything that the big kids did!

After the party my cousin Lonie and her son Hunter came and spent the rest of the day and next morning with us. It is so nice to see Emily with her cousins because we don't have any close family in town. They had a blast together and I really cherished having them around!

And here is a very rare shot of all of us!

Sick Day ... Not!

So last night I got home from work and Emily was lying down on the couch, covered in her Hello Kitty blanket and I knew right away... she was sick. Only when Emily is sick does she lay down with that blanket. Fritz had also mentioned he thought she was getting sick, but does he take her temp.? - No. Well, when finally taken it was 102.6. Since I work full-time and we have no family around, Fritz and I always have to take turns calling off work. Because of this I am always in the danger zone of call-offs at work and have to keep track so I don't get written up. Luckily I have one falling off this week, but I don't have a lot of vacation/sick time and I am already taking a day off this week for Emily's birthday and my mom being here. Needless to say I really didn't want to call-off but I had no choice since Fritz is going to be really busy at work this week.

Granted there is always the ole' give some Tylenol and send to school and hope that nobody notices when it wears off. I debated this even though it is horrible parenting (but hey, getting fired - also not so good), but since her temp was so high I decided not to chance it.

So a big part of me was really hoping Emily would be couch-ridden all day, cuddled up in her Hello Kitty blanket so that I would have to feel no guilt in calling off. Not so lucky! Does this look like someone who is sick to you????

The End of an Era!

My baby girls are growing up so fast! Emily has graduated from preschool and will be starting Kindergarten in August and it has made me one sappy mother. Some may think that I am being ridiculous, but as a mother who is used to having her children at home with her, this is hard for me. I think part of it is because I work 12 hour shifts, so some days I only see Emily for 1 hour before bedtime and than I have her with me all day Tues. and Thurs. I am going to miss having her around all day during the week! Don't get me wrong.... part of me is excited and I think Haley needs some of that special one-on-one time. I've just been very emotional lately and even almost cried at Emily's ballet recital. I am so going to be one of THOSE moms. The one crying all the time! Who new???

Look out how beautiful she was!

Conversation with a Four Year Old

Emily - "Mommy, I want to have a baby boy!"

Me - "You want to have a baby or you want Mommy to have a baby boy?"

Emily - "I want you to have a baby boy ... or a girl."

Me - "Well, those are the only two types of babies."

Emily - "A baby girl is born with hair and boy's are born bald with no hair."

Me - "That's not true. Daddy was born with hair."

Emily - "Well, how do you tell if it's a boy or a girl."

(Yes we have had the penis talk before).

Me - "A boy has a penis and girls do not."

Emily - "Oh yah! That makes sense."

Feelin' The Love

Today, for Mother's Day, my only wish was to sleep in... especially since we had gone out last night and drank a little too much! My mom was right when she said "the only time you'll get to sleep in is when the kid's aren't in the house." Isn't that the truth! The other problem is that I have now fallen into the habit of waking with the sun and am unable to fall back into a deep sleep. So needless to say, the sleeping in didn't happen, so we got up early and went to breakfast at a local mom-n-pop shop. The original plan per Emily was to make me breakfast in bed, but the girls used all the waffle mix and ate all the strawberries yesterday. I got a carnation and a free mimosa out of it and the girls were well behaved and sweet!

After we came home, Fritz had so nicely suggested that we go to the pool for girl bonding time. In other words... threw me to the wolves with 2 girls who like to go in opposite directions of the pool. We actually had a wonderful time and got a nice suntan!

I put Haley down for a nap, talked to my sister-in-law Stephanie, used the computer and helped Fritz cook dinner.

I have to say, it is days like these that are most enjoyable and memorable, even if it is experienced through a sleepy haze.

Me and my baby girls!

The Next Mary Lou!

Emily had a gymnastics "competition" last weekend. They do four events and all get trophies. No one comes in first or last! I wondered how she was going to do because no one from her class was participating and she wasn't with her usual teacher. At this age it can be hit or miss. They can get up there and freeze, be nervous, or go with the flow.

Well let me tell you! Emily was so excited she was jumping around, waving and when she got to the vault, she was running before the judge was ready! I am so proud that my baby did not have stage fright! Not to brag, but she was also won of the most talented. It probably didn't hurt that she was also one of the oldest!

How Quickly Things Change

Emily and Haley were having a loud screaming fight over Emily trying to fix Haley's broken sunglasses. This was right before we were getting ready to sit down and have popcorn and watch a movie. As soon as Haley realized that Emily was trying to help, she handed Emily the sunglasses and said "help." Literally 1 minute later this was the scene!

Here are the sunglasses they were fighting about! I love this picture!

If Only

If only this would continue for 15 more years. Haley loves to wash dishes, dust, windex the glass, and put away her clothes. I have this dream that if they enjoy it now they always will! Yeah right! I also have been trying to get Emily to do more chores around the house for an allowance. She thinks that $5.00 for cleaning her room is reasonable... I've had to convince her otherwise, especially since I somehow do most of the work!

Vogue

All I have to say is... What's with the posing? Where do they learn it? Is Hannah Montana to blame? I know Haley gets it from Emily, but come on!

Noodles of fun!

So those of us with kids know that it is often the least expensive, simple things that keep them entertained, not the toys that we put so much thought and money into. The girls and I were outside playing on a beautiful spring evening. First they rode their bikes up and down the street 1-2 times, then spent the next few minutes going in and out of the house for unnecessary things. Then came the noodles.... it was the most giggly and joyful I had seen them all day. Why is it that the one dollar noodles that Grandma bought them brought them the most joy? Not the bikes, the scooter, the wagon, the soccer or volleyball... it was the noodles! Ugh! Granted it was a great photo-op!

How Lucky are We?

Yesterday the girls and I and Grandma went to Sea World for the day. We had a very nice time, saw the shows we wanted to see, and the girls for the most part were wonderful. I couldn't help but think about how lucky we are to live where we live. One hour to the east and we are at Mickey's house or Sea World. One hour to the west and we are at the condo on a beautiful beach. Some people who don't live in this area rarely get to go to parks like this... maybe a few times in their life. Since we have moved to Florida, we have been to Disney, Sea World, and Busch Gardens at least 3-5 times each. We've only done day trips. Our next big thing will be a long weekend at Disney. At this point that is just a dream, not a reality.

I hope as they grow up, the girls will always realize how lucky they are!

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

I knew that having 2 girls so close together would be fun and challenging. Despite not having a sister myself, I knew that Haley would always look up to her big sister and boy was I right. When she wakes up in the morning she always asks "where sissy is" and if it is a day that Emily is in school she spends all day asking to go pick her up. When we pick Emily up from school they run and hug each other like they haven't seen each other for days. Of course as soon as we get home the fights begin. Many days I feel like a referee who doesn't know which way to make the call.

This picture says a lot. Emily had picked out her pants first... Haley followed. Emily was standing on the storage box first and singing... guess who came next. Emily was using her Sonic cup as a microphone... you know the rest!

And yes, Emily picked the outfit out herself... again.

The Longest Week Ever!

I was so much looking forward to Emily's Easter party at school and Easter, until I started feeling sick last Wednesday. I had to work 11am to 11pm in order to go to Emi's party with the girls. Let me tell you, that is the longest shift ever, but I was willing to make the sacrifice to see the joy on the girl's faces during the egg hunt. Yes, it was well worth it, but I had to leave work early for the 2nd time because of this darn cold (the worst I've ever had).

Saturday night we decided to put Haley in her big girl bed. It did not go as well as we had hoped. It took 2 hours of in and out and crying before she fell asleep. I was then up every 2 hours with her. Needless to say Easter morning was not what I had hoped because I was absolutely exhausted. Any thoughts of having another baby got thrown out the window that day. What made my morning though was Emily looking like she was Tom Cruise in "Mission Impossible" while looking for Easter eggs.

To complete my week of exhaustion, Emily got sick with a high fever on Monday night and was coming in my room to sleep and talking to me every hour. "Mommy, my throat hurts," "Mommy, I have to go pee," "Mommy do you know Miss Laurel's phone number to tell her I won't be at ballet." To make life a little easier I called off work on Wed. to take care of Emily, which when they are listless with a fever of 104 isn't so bad. It is horrible to say, but sometimes I don't mind when they are sick, because I actually get some quiet time. My hopes of a great end to my miserable week were shot down when the babysitter cancelled on Friday because her family is sick. I almost cried like a baby because I was so looking forward to a day by myself to get a pedicure and a haircut.

The positives of the week... I won at Bingo last night again - 25 dollars and I got some good quality time with the kiddos, which as a working mother I don't often get. Now, I just wish this cold would go away.