A Christmas to Remember

This year we had a free Christmas! Well, not entirely free but pretty much considering what it would have cost us if we had paid for it. What do I mean? Well, I've become pretty coupon savvy and some might say that I'm a Walgreens expert... I think they are all silly but it's true, I know my way around coupons and Walgreens pretty well. I've been shopping deals (specifically money making deals*) at Walgreens for months as well as participating in sweepstakes and instant win games (all free of charge mind you). The combination of the two allowed us to "buy" almost our entire Christmas at Walgreens for pretty much just tax. Isn't that amazing? Well, as you might guess the selection at Walgreens is a bit limited but we got some pretty good stuff. Here are the hits this year:

• play tents/houses
• lawn mower
• Tinkerbell doll
• telephone
• Dr. kit
• tool kit
• Percy train (from Thomas and Friends)
• Playdough
  

So I'll give you the details of our days now. First let me say that the little girls seem to be teething which is never a joy and Jackson has run a bit of a fever and has been irritable, but those things aside we had a lovely couple of days.

It all started on an unseasonably warm and wet night known in these parts as Christmas Eve. All day long we watched Christmas movies and did last minute Christmas chores. We had a dinner of sandwiches and finger foods (less work for a busy day). After dinner we opened our traditional Christmas Eve gifts which consist of a Christmas movie and PJs. The movie of the year was Santa Clause 2 (can you guess what last year's movie was???). We donned our jammies and put the little girls to bed (it was getting late) put the movie in and settled in for a long winter's... errrrr cuddle. Finally the house was silent and all were tucked safely in bed.

Mrs. Clause had been very busy the night before, wrapping and preparing for the eve to come. So about 10:30 she ran out of energy, woke up Santa and told him that it was up to him now. Santa dutifully took over and, well the rest is a mystery (until the morning of course).

Christmas morning started at about 8:30 in our house, when the kiddie-kins all awoke at the same time and demanded our attention. We entered the room slowly and cautiously. (Just in case, you never know when Santa's going to bring you a pet crocodile!) Luckily there was no crocodile or living pets either! There was loads of stuff though!!! Toys and toys and clothes and well, you get the picture... I'm sure it was the same at your house if you were good this year. Everyone received their traditional ornament for the year. The girls got the same ornaments (there wasn't much selection on the eve of Christmas eve, haha): A big sister polar bear helping a little sister polar bear walk. Jackson got a fishing ornament since he caught his first fish this year: A daddy raccoon fishing with a little boy raccoon. Abygail has been in love with Tinkerbell this year, there were no Tinkerbell ornaments but there was a fairy ornament... that's the ornament for her.

After the festivities I got to work. Breakfast was our traditional monkey bread with a new addition of a sausage, egg, cheese and potato casserole. I think I spent more time on breakfast than on our dinner. Dinner was a ham, green bean casserole and salad.

We've all enjoyed our time together and our special 'miracle' Christmas this year.

A Girls Afternoon

Last weekend Abygail and I went to a play called Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business put on by the Theatre of Youth. The play said the appropriate ages were for 4+ so I thought it would be a good time to take Abygail to a play (and it was free... that helped to persuade me as well). We arrived with time to spare and looked around the building. It's a historic theater here and it's architecture inside was fabulous. It's been restored and you can tell that it's well loved. We were not very close to the stage but it's a small theater so we could stills see everything but some parts were hard to hear over the music. Music? What... did I forget to mention it was a musical???

Yeah, it was a musical, which was a bonus in my book (and I think Aby's too).

It turned out to be so much fun. I laughed so much and really enjoyed myself. I didn't think that Abygail got much out of it though. She was squirming and not watching the stage very much. After the play they let the kids in the audience ask the actors questions. One of the questions was, "Was the baby real?" (there is a baby in the story if you've read the book). They told us no, it was just a doll but we hold it so that it looks like a real baby. Well, that's the part that stuck in Abygail's head. I would ask her "how did you like the play?" She would say, "but it wasn't a real baby, it was just a doll."

When we got home I was a bit disappointed that Abygail hadn't enjoyed it more. Then she started telling everyone about it with little details I didn't think she even saw and then started doing some of the singing and dancing. Well, needless to say it turned out to be a hit with her too.

I wish we had a picture of our special day together, all dressed up for our special afternoon. But we didn't think about it (and our camera was broken, was).

Pictures from the Museum (Finally)

Camping, Hiking, Fishing

A couple of weekends ago our lab had a camp-out retreat in Allegany state park. We had planned on the whole family going, but it has been getting pretty cold at night, and Caitlyn and Madelyn had been a little sick, so we decided that I would just go with Abygail and Jackson. We arrived Friday evening and stayed until Sunday afternoon. We missed Amber and the little ones, but I think she enjoyed having some relative quiet in the house.

Another grad student in the lab, Solon, arrived shortly after we did with his two slightly older kids (5 and 9 I think). Their dad is quite the naturalist and has trained them right, so they immediately went down the creek running alongside our campground and started turning over rocks in the hunt for any critters they could find. Abygail and Jackson were enthrawled. They insisted on going down to the creek with them, and even took their shoes and socks off so they could get into the frigid water and turn over rocks as well. We weren't fortunate enough to catch anything ourselves, but they enjoyed seeing the few little fish (barely bigger than tadpoles), water bugs, and crayfish that they caught. As you might imagine, I had a hard time keeping the two of them away from the creek the rest of the time we were there, especially Jackson.

My boss/advisor had rented a couple of cabins, but Abygail and Jackson insisted on sleeping in the tent so I finally set it up around 10pm by lantern light. (they are night-owls anyway, but especially when we are doing something special); it was a new moon so it was really dark. The stars were amazing!

We started Saturday morning with a breakfast of pancakes and bacon cooked in our iron skillet over the fire (I love camp cooking!), then went for a hike with the rest of or little group. I filled my backpack with snacks, water, diapers, wipes, and a change of clothes for the kids. Abygail and Jackson each had their own backpacks which they used to carry their own snacks and water. It didn't take long for the rest of our group to realize that I was serious when I said they shouldn't wait for us. As you might imagine, hiking with a 2 and 3 year old is not a fast-paced adventure, so the three of us ended up on our own.

I have to say that I was and still am absolutely amazed at how well Abygail and Jackson did. They asked to be held a lot when we first started out, but soon realized that I wasn't joking when I said we weren't on a carry, but on a walk, and quit asking. I actually didn't carry them at all over the entire FOUR HOUR hike. Well, not at least until the last 15 minutes when poor Jackson just couldn't handle it any more; he was actually trying to lay down on rocks and go to sleep. But I am getting ahead of myself. The hike was uphill the whole way (until we turned around) and the path was covered with rocks and roots. They insisted on taking time to turn over a few rocks and we actually found a couple of salamanders.



As we neared the top of the hill, we found that it was covered with enormous rocks, house-sized and even many times bigger. When we got to the very top, the trail brought us onto of a huge rock outcropping where we discovered a small hole in the ground. I should have gathered that we might find some caves since the trail was called "Bear Cave Trail," but for some reason I was surprised to find that this little hole actually led back pretty far into the rocks, perhaps a couple hundred feet following a very narrow and windy course.

I decided to go in as far as I could without getting too far from Abygail and Jackson, but to my surprise they followed me inside. We had neglected to bring any flashlights, so I used my cell-phone to lead them about a third of the way in. My cell phone didn't do much to penetrate the complete darkness, though, so they didn't go too far past where the outside light disappeared. When we turned around and left the cave, I was sure that that was the end of our caving experience, but they surprised me once again by asking to go back in. We made it perhaps a little further the second time, but not by much. Fortunately, some other hikers came along and offered to let us borrow their flashlights. Once we had some decent light in hand, Abygail and Jackson had no problem going to the back end of the cave.





We learned from the people we met on the trail that there were actually two other caves not too far off which we also ended up exploring. The entrance to one of them was a 10ft drop straight down, but we were able to enlist the help of a couple that was also there their kids to help get Abygail and Jackson inside. Once inside, we found that at the opposite end there was a crack in the rocks just wide enough to see outside. The same couple that helped us get in also took some pictures from the outside and e-mailed them to us. Thank you.



Later that evening we tagged along with Solon and his kids to watch them go fishing. I hand't anticipated that we would be fishing, so didn't bring any rods or tackle for ourselves. Solon was fly fishing and his son had a pretty nice rod that he was using. His daughter on the other hand had only a kid-sized, light blue and pink rod that she used for a little while, then let Abygail and Jackson use when she got bored/distracted. When it was Jackson's turn I helped him cast the line out perhaps 6-10 feet then let him real it in. As I watched him real in the line, I saw a fish move out of the vegetation on the bottom and move towards the line...wouldn't it be awesome I thought. And no sooner had I though it but the fish actually took the line and Jackson had him on shore (with a little help)! I could hardly belive it. His first cast ever and he caught a fish! It was quite the sight next to the fly-fisherman and his son who had not yet caught anything with their fancy equipment. After that Abygail was determined to catch a fish as well, but in her exuberance, only managed to snag her daddy's chest with the hook. I was afraid that she would be upset that she didn't catch a fish, but she wasn't at all sad; quite to the contrary she was very excited that Jackson had caught a fish.


That night another professor came with her two kids (3 and 5). They went to bed pretty early that night, but on Sunday morning Abygail and Jackson hit it off with them pretty well and had fun playing while we ate another breakfast cooked over the camp fire then packed up to come home home.

Pictures

Fun in the sun from the summer time

Most of these pictures (from here down) are in reverse order. Please go to the bottom and work your way up.

The girls

Walking away

Climbing with Mommy

Climbing the jungle gym

Outside the play museum

Smile

Cooking with Mommy

Madelyn "sitting up"

Caitlyn outside

Reflections

Homemade pickles

The Garden

Jackson taking his first swing on a big boy swing (CSA summer gathering at the Farm)

As summer slowly comes to an end there are so many things that come to mind.

We have had a love affair with the garden this year. It's amazing how much we have produced, given away, stored and eaten. It also amazes me how much our children love it and will eat anything that comes from it... even the beets! Speaking of beets, I roasted some for dinner guests on Sunday and they were delicious, who knew! I think I'll grow more next year.

Time flys! The girls have gotten big and even more amazing is that the summer is gone! Abygail is in school and while we still go to playgroup the summer free days are gone and we didn't even take advantage of them. It's this time of year that I look back on those days of missed opportunities with remorse and a renewed sense of determination. My mantra? I will leave my house and show my children the world. Shall we see how long that lasts?

On the theme of worlds, we got to play in a fun play world on Labor Day at the Children's Museum of Play. This place is great. Jason went with us and it was his first time going. He loved it just as much as the kids. We went in the butterfly garden which was amazing. It's reported that Jackson had more than one butterflies land on his body/head, wish I had seen that. No worries, we were there with lots of friends so while I did not personally get to see it at least I can blog about it!

While we are talking about blogs, I've been horrible these last 7 or more months haven't I!!!???

Well, Let's move on to more pleasant topics, shall we? This past 30 days has been full of events and fun. On the 16th of last month we celebrated our 6th anniversary. I'm not sure that you could say we 'celebrated' it as we told no one and did nothing. We actually had dinner at some friends house and just enjoyed their company, nothing special but we liked it.

Last week was Jason's 36th birthday (shhh, don't tell him I told you)! We had a Mexican Fiesta with chicken enchiladas, rice, beans (a cold bean salad which was more like a salsa or relish but hey, it was beans), chips, cheese, guacamole and it was all washed down with a raspberry sparkling concoction made table side. Finally came the bonfire and dessert portion of the evening where we put 1 full box of candles (because they come in packs of 36) on a chocolate raspberry cake. It was bright, it was hot, it was a flaming cake!!! Just kidding, wink, wink. Too bad I forgot the ice cream in the freezer, it too was raspberry.

Just over the weekend we went to an ice cream party, a baby shower (well, not "we", just "I"), a girls afternoon (again, just "I"), entertained guests for dinner, played at the museum and park and finished the day off with a yummy dinner with friends again. We like our friends here, can you tell?

Have I mentioned that Abygail started preschool this week? I have? Are you sure??? Well, in case you missed it, she did. She loves it, but that's for another post.

Back to the the end of summer theme, we are excited for this fall season. We can't wait to get to the pumpkin patch, out to Letchworth, go on a few hikes, get the fire pit going and enjoy the weather and colors that await us. Here's to a great summer past and a wonderful fall to come!

This Girl is Ready!

Abygail had her first day of preschool today. We were worried most about her getting up in the morning but she did great. We've been preparing her and telling her that we would need to wake her up in the morning so she could get to school on time and that Daddy would take her and Mommy would pick her up. Needless to say, after careful preparation it was a smooth early morning and no opportunity for Mommy to take her :( I don't think I've ever seen her happier in the morning!
How do you like that spoon or knife or whatever it is in her shoe?

When I picked her up she was happy and excited. She told me all about her day (3.5 hrs of it at least). She could only remember one boy's name, Alex. When I pointed out that his name starts with the letter A just like her's she was quick to correct me and say that only HER name starts with an A... well, I need to learn the alphabet again I guess.

She learned a new song, the Pie song, and sang it for me SEVERAL times. She just talked and talked and talked and talked. I couldn't get her to be quiet or sit still during quiet time. Finally I just took a nap while she talked to herself and pretended to play school (an exact replay of her day, I'm sure).

So, I think she was ready. Ready for a change of pace and ready to meet new people and ready to learn. I'm not exactly sure how much ABCs and 123s they are learning but she's definitely learning. She said to me tonight, "Oh no Mommy! I didn't learn anything today!" I quickly reminded her that she learned a new song and that she learned one of her classmate's name.

Getting Older

Jason became and old man yesterday... well, at least 'old' compared to me!

Someone else is getting older too. Abygail! While she is not turning another year older at this time she is about to enter a new stage in life, the school stage. We found a Head Start program that had one opening left and we quickly grabbed it up. The HS program here seems to be really great (only time will actually tell). Jason and I had the chance to go and tour the facility today and meet the teachers and staff and, let me tell ya, we were pleasantly impressed and felt very comfortable with the environment and staff. She's been approved and met all the requirements and on Tuesday she will begin.

Art Museum

Long and windy but a family memory:

Several weeks ago the kids (Jackson and Abygail) were fighting. Abygail was putting construction paper on the fridge and Jackson was taking them all down. To stop the fight I quickly suggested that we play.... (thinking, thinking) ART Museum! I explained to them that we could make pictures on all the construction papers and then hang them all over (in my mind it was to just be in the kitchen with a few pieces of paper). Then we could walk around and make interesting poses as we looked at the pictures and say funny things. They were excited and agreed to play

They colored on EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF CONSTRUCTION PAPER we had and then they were ready to hang them up. While in the process of hanging them up ALL OVER THE HOUSE their friend James came over and he was excited to play too. (scene, I was at home with all the kids and watching James, I knew that Jason would be home soon...hopefully) They had more fun hanging up the pictures than they did making them!

Once all the pictures were hung we walked around the house just as if we were in the art museum (which they have never been to...yet). Our front entrance has a mud room and there were several pictures in that small room so we called it the HALL OF HONOR, or something like that. There was a picture of the Leaning Tower of Pizza (that's what we called it) and the Leaning House of Carrot (James suggestion), and even the House of Brocolli (also James).

After a short while the three of them began fighting again so I quickly suggested that we make a PICTURE OF HONOR and hang it in the FRAME OF HONOR (right on the TV). They agreed and I proceeded to fold a piece of paper in to fours then we each made a picture in one of the squares. They loved it. Then we put it on the TV. They were convenced that playing Art Museum and making pictures of honor was the best game ever, we even pretended to drive to and from the museum. Abygail and James drove and let me tell you, they are two crazy drivers!

Well, We made a few more pictures of honor later that week with Daddy instead of James and we decided that a trip to the real art museum was in order. Luckily every Friday is free and they have special programs on Fridays too. We missed several Fridays because of being sick.

Finally this last Friday we/they went. It was late and it was the girls bed time so we decided that I would stay home with them and Jason and the big kids would go. It was also a hit. Jackson liked the bell they heard before going in from the bell tower across the street and the hip hop dance program that had really loud music. Abygail's favorite was the 'Silly Mommy' picture that was a naked woman (nice huh?!).

Saturday they wanted to paint so Jason took them to the craft store and bought lots of paint and things that they could stick to the pictures; puff balls, pipe cleaners, foam letters, etc. They picked out some colored poster board and painted to their hearts content and then got a bath, which is one of their favorite things about painting.



All in all I would say we had a successful Art Museum experience. This is something that just came on the fly and it's probably one of their most memorable things. I'm so glad this idea came up and that they love art even more now.

I'll upload a picture of their paintings once I get a chance.

Every Piece of Me

Abygail: Mommy, hold me!
Me: Hold you? Hold you?
Abygail: YES!
Me: OK. (then I pick her up by her arm pits and swing her onto my back for a piggy back ride hold)
Abygail: NO! Not like that!
Me: Not like this???
Abygail: No! I want you to hold every piece of me!

Isn't that sweet, funny and endearing?

Random Updates

Madelyn (pink) and Caitlyn (white) a few months ago... before they started moving around.

Caitlyn is crawling - army style. She does enjoy rocking on her hands and knees (as does M) but she prefers to get around by pushing with her feet and pulling with her arms.

Madelyn still loves being a rollie pollie. She gets around so well that when you think about it there is no reason for her to try crawling yet.

Sisters

We went camping this past weekend (er, I started writing this a last week...can you tell) at Seneca Lake and it was gorgeous (a bit hot but still beautiful). Jason and the older kids had lots of fun in the canoe and swimming off the floating island dock while I stayed in the air conditioned van with two sleeping beauties. We enjoyed looking at the stars the first night and singing around the campfire with friends. I made some yummy foil pack dinners with fresh from the garden veggies and a hamburger patty each. The kids preferred roasting hot dogs but we knew that would be the case. That night it was a little warm for blankets so we put a sheet on and took the top off the tent. It was amazing to sleep under the stars and fall asleep watching for shooting stars. We did see our share of shooting stars and Jason and I both saw one satellite a piece. They had their solar panels turned in such a way that it made them look like super bright shooting stars (mine looked like a double, super bright, shooting star). The milky way was gorgeous too but we couldn't help but remember that it was even more fabulous in Yellow Stone.

The girls did fine in their pack and play. I think they would have done even better had we separated them into two different ones. They kept rolling onto each other when they were falling asleep so it took longer for them to fall asleep.

Caitlyn enjoying being outside

We did have an awful scare in the morning... Aby and her friend Sam disappeared and they were not in their usual hiding places (cabin or van) ... or so we thought. Jason and I ran down to the creek with our hearts racing the whole time. Turns out they WERE in the van. Jason checked and he looked in the wrong van when he did... that's what happens when 2 families in the same ward have the same van! We were so glad she and Sam were there and not in the creek. Before we went to the lake we spent a little time down in a small swimming 'pool' in the creek. It was up to Jason's waist and the kids just loved it. Mommy didn't though, too many mosquitos and no place to sit! All in all it was a great weekend and we are glad we went (and it really was worth the long drive too).

Our second week of the Farm Share

Our garden is producing a ton this year. We've frozen a lot of green beans and even squash. We've gotten a lot of zucchini from our neighbor so we've frozen a lot of that too. Now we wish we had gotten a bigger freezer (I should have listened to Jason).

We love our neighbors, and not just because they give us food! They are a wonderful older couple with kids our age. They really are quite amazing people and their children have kids that come over and play with our kids ... everyone enjoys one anothers company.


There are lots of other things I could write about but... I'm done, too tired to write anymore and I know you are all awaiting an update anyway. Here are snippets of thoughts I had:

giving and receiving during the harvest season
air conditioner season
playgroup and swimming
caz park and the splash pad
chunky monkeys and cereal (twins)
garden veggie lovers and eaters

A Pancake

Abygail: Look Mom, I found a baby pancake.
Me: Oh, how does it taste?
Abygail: It doesn't taste.
Me: Are you going to eat it?
Abygail: No.

A few seconds pass and she's playing with Caitlyn

Abygail: No, don't eat my pancake (pretending)

a few more seconds

Abygail: OK, well, you ate my pancake so now I'm gonna eat you!

sticks Caitlyn's fingers in her mouth.

Seriously, Abygail is such a good big sister and loves to have pretend conversations with her sisters and entertain them. She loves singing songs to them and playing with them in general.

I know, I know

I've been a horrible blogger lately! This is more of a journal entry just to catch up. Read if you wish but it's long and there are no pictures (yet).

We had a great time at the farm. Jackson, Abygail and I went and we got to see the pigs, cows and vegetable fields. There was an awesome pot luck with the yummiest foods and I learned how to make beet brownies! The best and most memorable part (Abygail will not appreciate this later in life) was that Abygail stayed in dry underwear the entire time! She had to go 3 times and each time she had to hold it for awhile while we either hiked out of the fields to the port-a-potty or pulled over to the side of the road. She did great all three times!
We started our tour in the pig barn. The kids didn't want to get too close to those pigs at first. They never actually got close but they did finally stop asking to leave. Abygail held her nose the whole time we were in there. They were friendly and handsome pigs. There were 4 breeder pigs in 2 seperate pins and then 2 pins with several pigs for 'eating', one of them will be ours later in the year. The kids know that too and they understand as best as a 3 and 2 year old can.
After the pig barn we saw the vegetable room where they clean the harvests and bundle them for pick up. The same room will be used during the winter as a root celler for our winter shares. After that we saw the pasture fields and the cows, way off in the distance.
Next came the 2 greenhouses filled with tomatoes and the several fields loaded with growing veggies.
We were all very glad we went.

Our next adventure was having my mom and my niece Althea in town. It was so nice to see them and get a chance to get out of the house. Unfortunately Jason got very sick while they were here so he did not get to enjoy the time and I got sick too but not as bad as Jason. We still did stuff but limited the exposer to others. The night they came in I took them to the Williamsville Glen Mill park and showed them the waterfall... you know, to give them a taste of the area. The next day we went to the zoo and had a ball. Jason was not sick yet so he came with us. We brought a picnic and enjoyed the wonderfull weather. Day 2 we went to Niagra Falls, it was fun... we had another picnic right by the Horse Shoe falls and got sprayed a little. I was VERY worried about lossing track of Abygail and Jackson and they falling over the railings or into the river... thank goodness they were wonderfully behaved while we were there. Day 3 we went to the Hill Camourah Pageant. Very fun, but we wished we would have left earlier so we could have enjoyed the stake pot luck. I made beet brownies errrrr strike that, Althea made beet brownies and I made fresh green beans (from our farm share) to take but by the time we got there it was too late for the pot luck so we saved them for the next day. We left the twins home with Jason that day and it was very nice to spend time with Abygail and Jackson and talk them through the pageant. Abygail and I went up close to the stage at the very end - she loved it! Saturday we went to Letchworth State park and walked on some paths (stroller accessible of course). We had yet another picnic... after many many many stops along the way. I wasn't planning on taking the twins with us but we needed to at the last minute so Jason could rest... I wasn't prepared for that. I had forgotten their diapers, formula and didn't even bring stuff for a lunch :( First we stopped for gas and that was a LONG stop because Jackson was so very upset after being woken up from his nap. Next we stopped for Abygail to go potty. Finally we stopped for formula and I picked up stuff for PB&Js (just used the larger diapers we already had on the little girls). We really had a good time seeing the upper and middle falls and having a picnic. We saw lots of dear and fawns too. Jackson and Abygail enjoyed climbing and descending the 68 stairs with Memaw and Althea. Sunday we stayed home. Monday Althea and Memaw went back to Palmyra and then to the mall. By Tuesday Althea's passport card had finally arrived. We (Althea, Memaw, Abygail, Jackson and I) had lunch at Anchor Bar. That evening Memaw and Althea went to Canada so they could loose Althea's phone... I mean see the falls from the Canadian side. ;) We did have a river in the basement while they were here too so that was fun...NOT! All in all the visit was way too short and we already miss them.

Jason was planning on a century ride to Palmyra with our friend Tyler. Unfortunately Jason got sick after a 40 mile bike ride several days before so he was not able to go. I'm so very proud of Jason and his biking goals. I don't know if I could ever ride 100 miles...much less 40! (nor do I want to)

Well, we have video of the girls and lots of pics but I haven't loaded them yet. When I do I'll post them.

The girls are rolling all over the place. Madelyn preferrs to roll and Caitlyn prefers to 'crawl' (squirm and push with her toes and even move around in circles) to get wherever they want to go. They are 6 mos old now and sleeping through the night (yippee). Jackson is trying to tell us he is ready for potty training but I'm still not up for another round of that. I feel like Abygail is FINALLY potty trained and we are so very happy about that.

POLL

On Thursdays we pick up fruits & veggies that we have purchased as a 'share' from a local CSA/farm. So, we are share holders of the farm. The annual gathering is this Sunday and there will be Farm tours, food, mingling and swimming. The girls are 5.5 mos old now (4 mos adjusted age). I've already arranged for a babysitter to watch them... but I'm still not sure. Should we take them with us? They really are not old enough to enjoy it but... they are our family and it would be a good time for some family pics...

I don't know. I'm still torn. I think that Jason and I can keep a better eye on Jackson and Abygail and also enjoy the day a bit more if it was just the 4 of us...

What do you think? Should we take the girls or not???

Facebook to Blog a Tribute to Madelyn

OK, so I've been Facebooking... last night I posted part of this on Facebook and I now think it deserves a blog post. It was a perfect moment that need not be forgotten.

From FB:

Amber is enjoying the slow steady drumming of the rain that has cocooned her neighborhood in silence. The song Rocking With The Rhythm Of The Rain by The Judds makes her smile as she rocks her own baby to the rhythm of the rain.

A continuation from last night and today's thoughts:

The cocoon is so thick it cannot be penetrated by distant car horns or nearby flying jets. The refreshing smell of renewal wafts in the window and mixes with the scent that can only be called Sweet Baby Pie. My own worries and cares are soothed and washed away along with the grime and dirt on the Earth's concrete blanket.
A perfect ending to a not so perfect day.

Who was that baby? Madelyn. I was rocking and feeding her just before putting her down for the night with the final rays of light from a long exhausting day.

So here's to you Madelyn, thanks for a wonderful moment!

Way Too Much...

Jackson's Blue-Blueberry Birthday pancakes.

to post because so much time has gone by.

THE GIRLS:
The girls had their 4 month check ups a few weeks ago. Caitlyn is 12 lbs 1 oz and Madelyn is staying 1 pound ahead at 13 lbs 0 oz. Isn't it funny how they have stayed 1 lb apart since a month or so before they were born?!


They are getting strong too. Both of them roll from tummy to back and they both push up like pros. They have discovered their hands and it's fun to watch them stare at them and try to figure out how to move them or untangle them from each other. I've noticed Madelyn try to reach for or grasp for things. They also both suck their fists (mostly Madelyn, she would prefer it to a pacifier but hasn't abandoned the paci all together yet). They push with their feet and move in circles if they are upset or just annoyed that no one is paying attention to them.

Caitlyn recently got to 'test' a swing from Fisher Price. We had it for 2 weeks and they both enjoyed it. We also enjoyed that it worked (Jackson has broken the big one) and that it was so portable.

"Someone" got to the cake before the party started!

JACKSON:

Is 2!!!! He is so charming at times and others... well, he's in the terrible 2 period and you can tell. We had some friends over to celebrate his birthday. We had hotdogs and a fire (both are his favorites). It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed having people over to celebrate this fun day for him.


He talks like a pro! He had his 2 yr check up at the beginning of the week. Took his shot like a big boy and the Dr seemed very impressed by his speaking abilities. Apparently he should be saying 2 word phrases. Ya, he has 2 sentence conversations! LOL. Abygail was the same and we really enjoy that we can communicate with them both so well.


He's a total boy too! He loves bringing worms and rocks in the house and scaring or chasing Abygail with the worms. What a turkey!

ABYGAIL:
Has learned the advantages of deal making. I wanted to write a post titled "Let's Make A Deal" and talk about her deal making skills but as you can tell, I didn't. She was in the bath a while ago and it was time to get out, she didn't like the towel I had for her so she refused to use it. I told her that was the only towel we had for her and that she could use that towel or no towel. Well, she said, "Make a deal Mommy, make a deal!" to which I replied, "there is no deal, this is the only one we have for you". She insisted several more times for me to make a deal so I said, "OK here's the deal, you can either use this towel or no towel, which do you choose?" She chose the towel immediately. I guess as long as the 'options' are in a deal format she's ready to continue forward. Silly.

She loves dancing and singing (as does Jackson).

Here's the best part (and this is not an announcement, it's just an update), She has been in underpants for 2 days with no accidents. YEA, YEA, YEA!!!

JASON:
Has been working on the backyard and that is for another post. It's amazing how different it looks from when we moved in and even from last summer.