My 3 Paparazzi

More Firsts...

2011-09-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

It was a happy/sad week for me. Isaac and Leah started preschool and a new preschool at that. This is Isaac's third preschool and he is only 3. He doesn't remember his first one so I at least have that in my favor. The good news is that he was really excited about his new school. And so far he continues to really like it. The classrooms are nice and big and all have windows along the entire back wall. I think the brightness and cheeriness of the rooms is a big plus for him. He is such an outside kid, I think he needs to feel as close to nature as possible. The lead teacher is a grandmother and though she has high standards she is kind and patient. The mothers at the school have also been very welcoming to me too. I don't know anyone either so I told Isaac that we both have to try and make new friends. It has been a nice transition. Leah's first day was a little rough. She wasn't happy to leave me and then it turns out she spent a good portion of her morning being mad. Mad b/c she had to share, children kept taking her babies, or her snack or she couldn't wait her turn to go down the slide, etc. She has a strong will and it doesn't help that we all give in to it at home in order to avoid the screaming. That's just the way it is with 3. Isaac on his first day wore his soccer shorts, new shoes and awesome new Captain America backpack.

On Leah's first day she also wore her backpack like Isaac. It was so damn cute and everyone said so. She kept saying "bacpac" to everyone who looked her way. Isaac's and Leah's rooms are directly across the hall from each other which Isaac loves. He adores Leah and is so happy to be close to her.

Here Leah has to have a pillow on the sofa just like Isaac so they can watch "Crocodile Hunter" together. Which is the only show on the planet that Isaac will watch.

A mean game of driveway field hockey. Not really. But they do love to play and Isaac can actually hold his own fairly well.

Here Leah decides to help. I had to get her out or she would surely take a stick in the face.

July and August Catch-up Blog

2011-09-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in forever. Yes- I am busy, but I am guessing you are too. My biggest issue is that I don't download the pictures off of my camera and iPhone except for maybe once a month. Anyway, we have had a fabulous summer and I am truly sad that it has come to an end. Our lazy days of sleeping-in and choosing amongst a variety of fun things to do for the day are over. I think that is one of the reasons we sent Grace to a 1/2 day Kindergarten last year- I just loved our freedom and I wanted to be with my kids as much as I could before real school life started. And so it has. Up at 7am (big BIG deal for the Mitcheners!) and Grace is home by 3. I miss her terribly. She is the leader of the pack and such a huge helper. But now is Isaac's time and he is fulfilling his new role well. He adores Leah, and she him, and they play well together. Honestly, they play better than when Grace is home. So I guess that is one of God's ways of letting me know that this new stage in life is going to be okay. His other way of making this transition better is that Grace loves her new school and has had absolutely no problems adjusting. It's as if she has gone there her whole life. She does know 3 other girls in her class and went to VBS their for a week over the summer, so the campus is fairly familiar. Anyway, I am blessed and though mourning my old responsibilities of a stay-home mom with three kids am looking forward to embracing life with only two at home now.
The photos below are not in chronological order- so beware.
This was taken on Friday. Leah grabbed a kiddie shopping cart at Harris Teeter before I could scoop her up. She was so excited I couldn't take it away. We only had a few things to buy, but we were in the store for about 45 min. She was by far the cutest shopper there!

Sid's 20th class high school reunion was last weekend during Hurricane Irene. The reunion was in Atlanta so the weather was fine. Interesting is all I can say. I was feeling a little intimidated. I knew a lot of these people from our 5 years of living in Atlanta. And back in those days I had a good job and was climbing the ladder...and now I stay home with my 3 kiddos (which I love) which is technically a job that anyone with children can do. Of course I would like to think that I am very good at my job, but that is not something that you explain to old friends. Anyway, turns out that reunions really are as superficial as everyone thinks they are. No one cares if you used to have a job or not, they care about the surface level things...I'll let you figure that out.

Also taken last week, Isaac and his best friend Evan, and another friend Chase all flex their muscles at a local park. Oh and of course they had to take their shirts off too. Lord help us.

So the week before Irene we had a terrible storm that took down major branches from our neighbors tree. If you could only see the hundreds of old, tall trees in our yards, you would know it is a miracle that there was no damage. Oh and then two days later we had an earthquake in DC and the aftershock was felt all the way down in Raleigh. My first earthquake ever. Then a few days later Irene was headed for the Carolinas. Phew! We are blessed that we are all safe with no damage.

August 24. Grace is headed out for her first day in 1st grade. She was so excited that she hardly slept. This is her uniform, khaki or navy skirt or shorts and a solid color polo style shirt. Easy! Thank you Jesus! I WISH our public schools would wise up and do this. So cheap. I bought 4 skorts at Old Navy and 6 polos. Total cost was $40. Seriously.

On August 13th we did Leah's Baptism at Janice's church in Albemarle. Here Janice is with her cousin Jane, Grace and Isaac. Leah is in the row behind them.

Aunt L and Uncle Craig were there too. Pastor John did the ceremony and just did an amazing job. Leah was actually perfect, but by this point just tired of pictures.

Here I am with crazy Isaac and sweet Leah.

Proud Nana with her grandbaby. Leah wore the Lentz family Christening gown. Perfect since Leah's middle name is Lentz. Grace wore it as well about 5 years ago.

Here she is in her gown with her fruit snack.

Leah and Grace love dressing up.

Leah and her sweet pink bathing suit with tummy and her Nana.

Grandpa was in town in July for Grace's birthday. One day we headed down to the lake at Blue Jay Pointe.

Isaac and Grandpa had a grand time throwing objects into the water and getting their shoes wet. Well, maybe it was just Isaac whose shoes were getting wet.

July 13 was Grace's 6th birthday and also the big day for ear-piercing. I, being the overly safety conscious mother that I am, took her to our pediatrician to get them pierced.

And round one did hurt a little. Yikes!

Happy 6th Birthday Grace!

2011-07-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

For Grace's party we hosted a Luau. It was a lot of work but a ton of fun and very colorful. We had leis and grass skirts for everyone and that made it even more fun!

Of course we had to have the fun cups and straws and the menu consisted of turkey/cheese sandwiches, popcorn, BBQ chips (rather than BBQ pig), pretzel stix, cheese cubes and fruit kabobs. For spirits we had a delicious Hawaiian lemonade. I can email you the recipe if you are interested.

The deck was adorned with tiki torches, Hawaiian lanterns, newly planted colorful flowers and Grandpa who was in charge of videoing the happenings as well as monitor the slide...which was quite a job at times.

By far the best part of the party was the entertaining 16' waterslide. Here is Grace and some of her friends from Kindergarten waving.

Aunt L and Isaac enjoy some refreshments. Isaac gets some much needed TLC since big sister is celebrating her birthday. It was an absolutely perfect day with temp in the 80's and a nice breeze. We were outside the entire day.

What Luau would be complete without the Limbo?! I downloaded some great Limbo inspiring music off of itunes and we were set. Turns out Grace loves the CD I made- I should have made copies for the goodie bags for the guests. Oh well.

Nana and our neighbor Lauren fill up Leah's special fish cup for the party. Leah napped most of the party...by design.

Grace's super awesome Hula girl cake that I did not make.

Here she is about to blow out the candles...

And the party cooperates for a photo.

After everyone had left Daddy goes down the waterslide breaking the 175 pound weight limit.

Isaac follows in suit- Later when the owners of the slide come to pick it up Isaac immediately tells them that Sid went down the slide. hehehe

Leah in ocean

2011-07-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

So this is how Leah was in the ocean every single minute of every day. No matter where we put her on the beach she would run full speed back into the ocean. It was quite exhausting. She never got tired or scared of the crashing waves.

Leah in the Pool- June 2011

2011-07-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

Ocean Isle and Sunset Beaches- July 2011

2011-07-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

We returned last week from our best week at the beach yet! This is the first time I have been to the beach without a baby or being fairly pregnant...so even though we were juggling three kids and some sleep deprivation- we all really did have a great time. Nana came along too - she got to sleep more than we did. Though I think Isaac did get up a few times complaining of leg pains... and conned Nana into some Tylenol. He also enjoyed waking up his sisters first thing in the morning. We actually stayed on Ocean Isle beach and when we arrived on Saturday afternoon we headed to the ocean for a proper hello...and to see the look on Leah's face. She was in love.

On Monday morning, the 4th of July, we lined up on Second Street for the Golf Cart parade. The kids caught lots of candy and even a few popsicles. We rented a golf cart for the week and it was a blast. Going to and from the beach was a piece of cake.

Here is Nana, Grace, and my finger on the beach digging for shells.

One gorgeous day (we had amazing weather while we were there) the Kizakevich family picked us up on their boat and we went for a ride. Then we anchored on a little beach and let the kids swim. We had a couple of jelly fish join us, but Paul scooped them up in a bucket and put them ashore.

The girls were happy just to snack on the boat.

Several of the days we went to Sunset Beach as the beach is longer, flatter and leaves these wonderful tide pools when the tide goes out. Perfect for crazy baby Leah!

Surfer girl...not afraid of a thing. And she really did have great balance on this.

We even let Nana take a turn keeping up with Leah in the ocean. I am posting a video in the next blog with Leah in the ocean...so you can see for yourself how busy she is.

We also had a blast riding our bikes all over the island.

One day we drove into Myrtle Beach and visited the Alligator Adventures- Isaac loved the huge turtles.

Here is Leah on the 4th of July. Everyone stayed up late to watch fireworks.

Here are the kids on Ocean Isle Beach working on a drainage system for the beach.

The work got very serious.

Me and the big kids on Ocean Isle Beach.

The house we rented again had a dock. Sid and the kids love to fish and turns out Leah just loves fish.

Here she is holding her prize fish for me to see. So happy with the fish.

Mean Daddy took the fish from the baby.

One morning Isaac and Nana went down to the dock to fish. Isaac waited patiently with his net in the water for a fish to swim by and....bam! He caught one!

On our last night we went to Cinelli's for pizza. We sat on the balcony in 100mph winds. It was fun?

Has it already been a month since my last post?!

2011-07-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

I really do not know where the summer has gone. We have been busy! Clear back in June we spent a long weekend in Albemarle with Nana. I drove the kids and Sid stayed in Raleigh and then Sid and I met up in Charlotte for a black tie event with his office. Nana had to keep all three of the kids over night! It was the first time I had ever left Leah over night and it was hard! Janice may never tell the full truth, but I know she was up many times through the night. Sorry Nana...welcome to my world! Anyway, Sid and I had a great time and we are thankful to Nana and Aunt L for taking such good care of our angels.

Upon arriving at Nana's Leah helps herself to a Gin and Tonic. Not really. But since there are no rules at Nana's house we just let the baby drink out of glasses.

Later Aunt L comes over and it looks like everyone is having a little wine!

It was hot out and so the slip and slide in the back yard was the perfect answer.

Leah does not like to share the hose- her clothes on the other hand are fair game.

And yes, she really is trying to spray Isaac. But of course he loves it!

Later Leah shares some love with Aunt L.

This is Sid and me all dolled-up at the event. I wore a navy dress and I loved it. Navy is my new color. I need to stand up straight. I am really working on that. I think when you are tall you tend to hunch over a little so that you don't tower over people, but here it looks like I am slouching. You know?

Sid and I took the kids to the zoo in Asheville on our way back to Raleigh. They didn't sleep well at Nana's so all three of them were extremely tired after 4 days of sleep deprivation- we almost left the zoo as soon as we arrived due to poor behavior. But a little game of stroller roller-coaster seemed to turn the morning around thanks to daddy!

Cute little head and big head.

I love this picture. Grace is helping Leah see the giraffes.

Good job big sister!

Daddy helps Isaac see the giraffes.

Family photo in front of the pregnant gorilla exhibit. And no- I am not referring to me.

Leah's first ride on the carousel.

No- we are not at the zoo. But Isaac's favorite place is Monkey Joe's and he LOVES Monkey Joe. Just had to include this photo.

Grace's first swim meet

2011-06-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

Grace had her first swim meet today. She waited for almost two hours before she got to swim in one race- the 6 and under freestyle. She placed 3rd in her heat and did great. It was really fun to watch. She could have waited another 45 minutes to do backstroke but decided that going home to play with the neighborhood would be much more fun. She did get an orange participatory ribbon and that was the hi-lite of the event for her.
Here she is right before her heat.
Below is the exciting, up-close, full-throttle video of her race.

Kindergarten is over and remembering on Memorial Day

2011-06-05T11:18:00.000-07:00

Grace "graduated" from Kindergarten last Friday. Her teacher chose her as "most creative" which I have to say she gets from her mama! I am not a big fan of Kindergarten graduation since she just graduated from preschool last year. Grace now thinks that she graduates after the completion of every grade. Anyway, we made the best of the ordeal and attended with happy hearts and then a trip to KMart to pick out a toy. (Grace chose wedding Barbie. great.) Anyway, the graduation was a reminder of how far we have come this year. In September, the school year began with a very young 5-year-old, a busy 3-yr-old and a 7-month-old. Now I have a reading, writing machine, a busy 3-year-old and a 16-month-old who makes the 3-yr-old look easy. Grace got all "A's" (Above grade level) and one "P" (Progressing at grade level- in telling time) on her report card. We are very proud of her and so is her teacher. Her teacher confessed a while back that she was initially concerned about Grace being so young entering Kindergarten, but she underestimated Grace and her mother. :-) I was determined to help Grace reach her highest levels of abilities in a fun and encouraging way. Everyday after school we worked on skills for about 45 minutes. We loved the time together and the progress was noticeable. She is reading well beyond a first grade level. It is so neat when your child begins to read. I am so thankful that we did not send her to pre-K. Phew. She would have lost an entire year of reading! And I am also so grateful that I have the ability be with her and teach her- I do not take that for granted.

Here she is walking down the aisle...

And now, tassel turned (kind of) and diploma in hand- she is a graduate and on to 1st grade!

Grace and Addie have been in school together since they were 1! Addie went to pre-K this year, so they were not in the same class but they did play on the same soccer team. Addie is wearing her hair in pigtails because she cut her own hair just two days before this...her mother was thrilled.

Leah just basically ran around in the pews throughout the entire program. Isaac was in his preschool class. He joined us for the reception afterwards.

And on to Memorial Day. Of course we thought about our fallen hero Greg Wright all day and are so glad that we named Isaac Gregory for him. We miss Greg so much and are so thankful for people like him. We live in an amazing country and I hope that it stays this way for generations to come. Freedom comes at a very high price.

Here is Nana with the grandkids. She came up for Grace's graduation.

We have a small forest in our back yard...and in one of our trees there has always been this big hole- and now we have a raccoon mommy and little baby who have moved in! So cute.

Go Animal Kingdom!

2011-05-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

So before I talk about the Kentucky Derby I just have one question...Why isn't the media all over Obama about gas prices like they were with Bush in 2007 (and even before that)?
So from the little research I have done, it does appear that our gas price crisis actually began with some Bill Clinton shenanigans in 1999ish. He was trying to help the poor and used our oil reserves to increase supply which lowers prices. That was good intentions but obviously there are always long term repercussions to short term solutions. Then Bush came in and tried to build them back up at a time when there wasn't much room for more demand in the market. High demand means higher prices. Turns out we were about to start a war with the Middle East, our supplier, that didn't help prices either. Now Obama has his moratorium on off shore drilling (Though this was just recently lifted). He did this after the BP nightmare in the Gulf. He was trying to do good- though he does seem to have a little bit of a "God Complex." I mean really- whether you like him or not you have to admit that he does think very highly of himself. He actually thought that flooding the economy with stimulus money would turn the economy around. Gee if that were possible, then we would always flood the market with money and never have a recession. He decided that stopping off shore drilling was a good idea...and maybe for a short time- but for the long haul. Are you kidding me? And recently he took credit for the Bin Ladin assassination. Weird. I am thanking our Navy, not Obama. Anyway, back to my original point. Where is the media now? I think in the end all of our presidents have tried to do "good" but why only smear the republicans? Take note that our media is, well, fairly terrible at reporting the whole truth. The integrity is gone.

So on a fun note, Sid and I went to a Derby Party last weekend. A good friend of mine whom I used to work with at Duke hosts this party every year. Sid and I haven't been in six years. We put most of our money on Animal Kingdom because of course that is where we stayed in Disney...so guess who won the Derby? We were floored. We walked home with a nice big chunk of money. A percentage of the profits went to the Shriners so even if we hadn't won it was nice to know that kids and families are being helped. Here we are with our roses!

Leah wanted to wear Daddy's watch. She kept it on all day. People laughed at it all day. It was as big as her hand.

Last weekend at a fabulous birthday party Isaac became a little devil....hmmm?

And Grace maintained her princess status.

Easter, Soccer and FINALLY spring is here!

2011-05-06T19:11:00.000-07:00

We have been living for spring. We didn't necessarily wish away winter, it's just that the kids had so many colds, flues, viruses, and such that I wasn't sure I could take it much longer. And just when I though I would crack spring sprung and all was renewed. We still battle colds/viruses, etc, but on a much lesser scale...days go by and all three are healthy at the same time! So April was filled with soccer games galore. My good friend Stacy and I coached Isaac and her daughter Hampton's soccer team at the YMCA this year. It was interesting. I had one player who basically hated soccer and so therefore hated me. He actually spit on me. Yeah. Three years old. I have no idea why his mother signed him up. His grandmother was mortified and said they were trying to get him around "better people" so he would straighten up. I'm thinking a hand to his behind would be a better place to start. Anyway, we ended the season with a trip to the ice cream store which was the hi-lite of the season.

The name of our team was "The Clams." No comments- I didn't come up with the name.

Here is Isaac with two of his buddies from his preschool class. The day we played them poor Isaac was home with a temperature of 104.2 I didn't even know that was possible.

And here is big sister Grace's team. She plays for Kickin' for the Cross. She was clearly the tall girl on the team- seems to be a tradition now. She was also the "ringer" on the team. Actually so was Isaac. It was really fun to watch the kids- but I do worry they are getting a false sense of ability and fun. Eventually they will both meet their match and I think they will be a little shocked. But for now Sid and I have a good time cheering them on.

Leah is actually not on a team- though she seemed more interested than the majority of my players.

Here is Isaac hamming it up on the field.

Nana and Aunt L came up for a day to watch the kids while Sid and I went to a big party a few weeks ago. Leah loved all of the extra attention.

And she really loved when Aunt L read her her new Elmo book. Leah LOVES Elmo. (I can do this....I can do one more child in love with Elmo!) Nana reads story #23 before bed. The kids take no prisoners when it comes to story time.

Grace's class field trip was to a farm. They got to see/hold the goats, chickens, cows and pigs. It was a wonderful experience.

Isaac passes down his love for popsicles to his baby sister. It was not difficult for her to take up.

Easter photo. Isaac's faces were hilarious. I don't think we got one normal smile out of him.

There was a real bunny at Grace's Easter party at school.

Easter Morning! The Easter Bunny brought Grace and her American Girl Doll matching dresses. Leah got a lawn mower (Dejavu- Isaac got one two years ago!) and Isaac got a rocket launcher. They all got a soccer goal.

Grace and Ruthie ready for church!

I want to eat her up!

If only he knew what will be coming down the chore list in about 10 years.

Lots of Firsts...

2011-04-03T18:26:00.000-07:00

Well the big, big news is that Grace lost her first tooth! The thing had been forced loose by hours of forceful pushing back and forth by Grace. She really wanted to lose a tooth. At five and a half years old it is not unusual for a child to start loosing teeth, but we were hoping she would go until she was 12 or so to ensure a nice big mouth for those new teeth to have plenty of room to grow in straight! No such luck! So anyway, last Saturday night we were getting ready for movie night and the darn thing was on its last leg. I tied a piece of dental floss around it and told Grace I would count to 3. I pulled on the first count and it came right out! Just a little blood and I think Grace was a little overwhelmed. But she did great. She was so excited to find out what the tooth fairy was going to bring that she could hardly watch the movie. The tooth fairy left her a letter covered in pixie dust and a TinkerBell video! What an awesome tooth fairy.

Sid's 38th Birthday. His very first time being 38. Pineapple upside down cake that the kids helped to make. Mmmm yummy. Eat at your own risk.

Our little princess got tubes in her ears on Friday morning, April 1st. (Which is the first April Fools Day that I did not play a practical joke on Sid.) She had a terrible time coming off of the anesthesia but once she felt better we left the hospital and she had a great rest of the day. She is such a little trooper. We are counting on a healthier baby who may now sleep a little better. Ya right.

Now, this is not a first. This is a family tradition and a family favorite. Sid built a fire pit in the backyard a couple of years ago using the rocks from the creek behind our house. We go out back every once in a while and fire it up, invite the neighbors and make smores. I love smores and mostly do it for myself. However, I do make sure that everyone has a smore before I make mine. That way I can eat mine uninterrupted.

Mitcheners on the tramp

2011-03-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

I took this video last night around 7:30. Trying to get them completely worn out before bed. As you can see Leah has tremendous balance for a 14 month old. She is also as crazy as her brother and sister and loves to be popped all over the trampoline.
I added some comment bubbles but looks like they didn't make it on the screen and I don't care enought to fix them. But I will warn you that I tell the kids to "Be Careful!" at least a hundred times. I'm a mom and that's what we do.

Grace reads to Isaac's class.

2011-03-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

Grace has been doing a great job with her reading. I am so proud of her progress and amazed at how quickly she has picked up this skill. She has been working hard on a book "Bathtime for Biscuit." I asked her teacher and Isaac's teacher if she could read it to Isaac's class and they thought it would be a great idea. Today was the big day and she nailed it. I was so proud. Listen carefully as she is speaking softly...and there is also Leah chatter to contend with.

Over the last month...

2011-03-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

So I think the reality is that I will post once a month. Not my first choice, but better than nothing. So here is a recap of photos over the last four weeks. For Valentine's Day we made heart shaped pizza's. Making pizza is one of our favorite activities and even more fun when a geometric shape, other than the traditional circle and sometimes square, is involved. Leah ate more than anyone.

Oh- and I must also apologize that the pictures are out of order but not worth my time to correct. Anyway, this picture was taken on Saturday, March 12th. These are Leah's pink little toenails. I was sitting on my bathroom floor attempting to paint my own toenails when Leah decided it was her turn. She sat right down between my legs and stuck her little feet in the air and grunted a couple of times. She sat very still and it took all of twenty seconds to color those tootsies. She was very proud.

This was also taken on Saturday. Yet another member of the Mitchener family drives the jeep. Well we didn't actually let Leah drive, just sit in the driver's seat and change the radio stations. That is more than her daddy gets to do.

March 6th, 2011. Happy Birthday NANA!

Taken one Saturday night in February. Movie night! Leah got to join in on movie night for the very first time. We rented How to Train Your Dragon and it was by far the best movie we have every seen. Highly recommended.

100 days of Kindergarten! On Feb 22nd Grace's class celebrated their 100th day of Kindergarten. It was such a fun celebration. All of the kids wore 100 "somethings." Grace had 100 tattoos. (That was fun for me to do the morning of.) At school they wore special hats and let 100 balloons off into the air for sea animals to swallow later. They had 100 munchkin donuts for snack and all of us moms brought in a special lunch full of "100's."

Disney World and TIRED!

2011-02-19T18:28:00.000-08:00

To begin, I know that I am late with the photos on the blog. This may surprise you, but Leah has been sick all week. She came down with a nasty cold on Tuesday and in the midst of that she got a horrible stomach virus complete with a high fever and vomiting. Once the air cleared with the stomach muck she was left with an ear infection from the cold. Lovely. Next, I know that I posted a ton of pictures from our vacation...but please allow me to explain: We took 175 photos, I narrowed it down to about 100 keepers and only posted about 25- that is pretty good for me.
So now the down-low on WDW...phew! I am tired! We got home on Sunday and we were all exhausted. We went hard for six days. The little kids napped when and where they could. Up late every night and up early every morning. Fortunately we had Uncle Ben to entertain us and Nana to spoil us.
My advice to anyone planning to travel to WDW. First, do not take 2-yr-olds. I know what you are thinking, "How obvious!" But apparently not to many MANY parents. For every 5 screaming children we encountered at least 4 were 2-yr-olds. Next, only take children who either do not need a nap or can nap out and about. We just made it on both accounts. Isaac can go several days in a row without a nap and Leah is still young enough to nap just about anywhere. Grace and Uncle Ben could have gone from sun-up to sun-down- however the rest of us were done after about 6 hours. Then, have your vacation planned out. You need to know what rides and activities you are going to do b4 you get into the parks or you really will waste valuable time walking around and waiting in lines for not-so-good rides/shows. Finally, be prepared to wait. We waited in lines for rides, to meet characters, to get food, to go to the bathroom, to get strollers, to catch the shuttle and to get into the parks. Lots of waiting and for little ones the day can get long fast. So to get through all of the waiting make sure you have a stroller; yummy, unhealthy, Disney World snacks; some souvenirs to play with; and of course an Uncle Ben to keep everyone entertained. Speaking of which, here is Uncle Ben now outside of Hollywood Studios doing a weird human strength trick on the "Line Begins Here" pole. Of course Grace and Isaac are fascinated. Well probably we all were.

And then the hi-lite of Isaac's trip, meeting Buzz Light Year. You know that I am that crazy mom who brought that costume all the way from NC with our carry on luggage (so we wouldn't risk losing it) so that my kid can be dressed to the nines when he meets his hero. He was so freakin' adorable.

On our second day we went to the Magic Kingdom. Leah and Grace loved sharing the stroller together. Plus it was a great place to eat Mommy's caramel/nut apple.

Family photo outside of Cinderella's Castle.

Uncle Ben fits right in.

So Grace took about 20+ "character" photos during our week. This was one of her favorites with Princess Aurora/Sleeping Beauty. Grace and I had a very special luncheon at Cinderella's Castle where she got to meet all of the princesses (except Snow White). She was so excited and we brought her Princess Aurora dress and accessories just for the luncheon. Grace wore her dress the rest of the day and loved the attention the WDW cast members (aka employees) paid her. It was quite evident that little girls dressed at princesses (and there were a ton of them!) were to be given special attention and addressed as princesses. It was adorable.

One of our favorite activities...shuttling back and forth from hotel to parks. haha.

In the Magic Kingdom there is a special ceremony for taking the flag down in the late afternoons. Grace got to say the Pledge of Allegiance for the ceremony! Isaac is standing up there too with another brother and sister. We were so proud of Grace. She said it perfectly!

Late night at the MK. Isn't the castle neat?

We had some rain on day 3 and decided to head to Epcot where there are lots of indoor rides. The best "ride" was the stroller wars between Sid and Uncle Ben.

And we got to meet Beauty and the Beast!

And of course no amusement park vacation is ever complete without a ridiculously large lollipop. This time Isaac did not fall asleep while eating it.

On day 4 we headed to the Animal Kingdom for a brunch with more characters. No I am not referring to Uncle Ben. I had a great time with my brother who I hadn't seen in two years. We talk, text, and email, all of the time, but it's just not the same. I miss him.

Poor Nana had to sleep with Isaac and Grace. She actually shared a bed with Grace which I warned against. Grace would wake up in the middle of the night, then wake up Nana and make Nana massage her! Of course Nana did. Nana had a taste of my life and what it is like to never sleep through the night!

And here is Nana and Loo. Loo got a cute little Minnie Mouse fleece.

Family photo before brunch with Donald Duck. Love it and I think it is the only one we have with all seven of us.

And finally Grace's hounding for some face painting was granted.

On our last day we headed back to Hollywood Studios. Here I am with the petrified Storm Troopers. Except they were not so petrified as one suddenly turned to me with gun pointed. Grace and Isaac almost wet themselves.

Loo, Isaac, and Uncle Ben getting ready to go on the BackLot Tour.

Isaac and Grace with their cheerleaders. Seriously. So apparently there was some huge cheerleading (CL) competition on Sunday/Monday and the CL were pouring into WDW by the billions (more than Obama's stimulus package). I know what some of you are thinking, "Serves me right." But other than the giant bows (and you know I love a good bow), the TONS of make-up and matching outfits I am starting to have a little more respect for the cheerleading activity. Seems that nowadays you may actually have to have some skill and talent rather than just wealthy, over-involved parents. Anywho, Grace and Isaac latched on to these two girls who played with them for about 45 minutes in the 'Honey I Shrunk The Kids' play area.

Sid and Loo in play area.

In HW Studios there are lots of shows. Here Grace and Isaac are dancing with a bunch of teenage singers/dancers. Kind of like the Fresh Beat Band. If you have no idea what I am talking about be thankful.

This is Leah walking in the hallway of our hotel. She loved to do this. We never figured out why. But she would cry when we would finally drag her into our room and shut the door.

Our gorgeous hotel. I highly recommend the Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House Villas. There really is a Savannah with zebras, giraffe, etc right outside your balcony.

And finally. Uncle Ben needed a companion so he bought a monkey that wraps around your neck, and he wore him everywhere! Of course Isaac had to have one.....

...and so did Grace.

Happy Birthday to our littliest princess!

2011-01-23T18:01:00.000-08:00

There is a small part of me that feels I should apologize for blogging so infrequently- but life just happens. The good news is that I finally got my computer back on Friday so now I am willing to download pictures. The really good news is that my kids seem to be getting better now that all three are finishing up their antibiotics. Yes, all three were on antibiotics at the same time. Grace and Leah had sinus inf with double ear infections and Isaac had (and still has) a sinus infection with a terrible cough. Isaac is strangely resistant to antibiotics even though he has only been on them 3 or 4 times in his life. It has been a long 3 weeks with all of them pretty sick. Of course I am now sick for lack of sleep. There was at least a straight week where I averaged about 4 hours of sleep a night. It was awful. I am so tired of cold/flu season. My kids have been almost constantly sick for 3 months. You would never know that they are not in daycare (Leah is not even in preschool) and were all breastfed babies. On the bright side my kids don't have allergies...so I do have that going for me. Anyway, we are all tired and just trying to recover.

Fortunately we have had Leah's 1st birthday to get ready for and look forward to. Grace and I have been working diligently on the princess theme that Grace deemed suitable weeks ago. All I am going to say is tiaras, pink feather boas, and pink, pink, pink! Her birthday and party were yesterday. Leah had to have her own personal ball pit for the party and she did enjoy it. The big kids had a little too much fun and we finally had to cut them off. Nana and Aunt L came up for the big event. Thank goodness! I kept Nana busy with the big kids and put Aunt L on the decorating committee, pre-party. I don't know what I was doing...a little of everything and all of nothing!

Here is the beautiful dining room table complete with pink roses, carrot cake, cupcakes with princess atop, fruit tray, pretzels, chips/salsa, and peanut butter celery. Note the boa in the chandelier.

I had everyone autograph Leah's plate, and guess how many kisses were in the dish. Aunt L painted this beautiful picture of Leah's party invitation. It was amazing.

We had lots of fun drinks for all ages, confetti on the table and a pinata for color.

And here sits the princess's throne. Yes, her high chair has a pink cover and a skirt for the tray. We had to have the most adorable polk-a-dot balloons and her tiara awaits her on her tray.

This is the show-off table. I have her birthday pictures up next to an infant picture and of course her scrapbook which is almost completely up to date!

We started the party off with some yummy food from Moe's catering. It was a big hit and I will definitely use them again.

Then a little game of pin the tiara on the princess.

Then time for the big event. I made Leah a very special carrot cake cupcake-from scratch. Her FAVORITE! (and it really is her favorite- she loves carrot cake!)

Big brother helped to blow out the pink polk-a-dot candle.

And then she digs in with her birthday cake bib.

And then I added some heath bar ice cream and of course that was a huge hit too.

Oh ya.

My two princesses. Grace was all about wearing her tiara too.

Our next event was the pinata. You are probably thinking that this is a weird event for a 1 yr old's party...but just wait.

The one-yr-old loved it and was very upset when she had to take turns!

We ended up staying up way past bedtime. But a great time was had by all. Nana and Aunt L did all of the clean-up which was the best gift of all as I was pooped! Leah was by far the best behaved child and literally did not fuss one time. I am kind of sad that she is growing up so quickly...that they all are growing up so quickly. But I guess that is what happens.

I know it's been forever...but...

2011-01-03T17:40:00.000-08:00

...I really do have two good excuses! My first excuse is emergency related. Literally. Two days before Thanksgiving Isaac was "playing" on a wooden bench that sits at our kitchen table. I told him to get off of it. He jumped off backwards causing the bench to teeter and fall backwards...onto his big toe- and it nearly took off his toe. The lip of the seat part of the bench fell right below his toenail and took off all flesh except for about 1/4th of an inch of flesh that was hanging on the underside of his toe. It was bad-very bad. At first I thought the bench had hit his shin, but he was really crying and I was confused. I had already picked him up when I saw his toe. Blood was EVERYWHERE and when he saw it he panicked. I was cool, though. I kind of got the flesh back over his toe and gently got a towel around his foot. The baby was eating dinner and Grace and Isaac were about to eat. So I had Grace feed the baby while I got on the phone. After 10 minutes I did start to panic a little- I couldn't get Sid on the phone after many calls and texts and none of my neighbors were home. Sid was running late (:-)) and was in the one dead zone area by our house stuck in traffic. I didn't know where he was or when he would be home and I couldn't imagine taking all 3 of them to the ER; but it was looking like that was my only option. Isaac was in a lot of pain and bleeding. Finally my neighbor with the 5 kids got home. The daddy stayed home with the girls and the mom drove Isaac and me to the ER. Fortunately Sid got home about ten minutes later as I had left no instructions for the baby. We got to the ER and they took us right back. Took x-rays (nothing was broken) and did some "surgery" to repair the nail bed and sew on the bottom of his toe. They went ahead and took off the top. Seriously. We were in and out in two hours. My baby was in extreme pain for the next three days -he had serious pain meds that helped a lot. He slept with me and had a tough time for the first week. He crawled around after about 5 days and started walking after about 2 weeks. He just started wearing shoes again about 3 days ago. It's been fuzzy Crocs a size too big until now. The doc says Isaac is healing great and his toenail should eventually come back- though he makes no promises as to what it will look like. At least he is a boy- can you imagine if this happened to one of my girls and their big toe was forever maimed? Plus, Isaac is SO MUCH tougher than Grace. It broke my heart a hundred times to see his frightened face in surgery (they did it with him awake and restrained- it took too long and they said they should have put him under- yikes.), and the pain he was in had to have been worse than any labor pains he put me through- but he was still happy and resilient and NEVER complained. Never. That's my brave boy.
My next excuse is that my computer died. It died - I took it to the Geek Squad who had it for 5 days and they couldn't get the virus off of it- so we sent it into the IT guys at Sid's company. They still have it. Sid brought home a loner laptop for me. I am not supposed to load any software on it (ie no camera software so no pictures.) But since I still don't have my computer back (and it has been a month!) I did load the camera software so I could post some pics and work on my scrapbooks.
So those are pretty good excuses huh?! So below is a month of photos...with short captions. Here is Grace and Isaac's school Christmas program. Isaac is on the far right. Unless you know where he is you will never be able to see him, but you can try if you want to. Grace is not up yet.

The Kindergartners got actual "parts" in the program. Grace was the cow in the nativity. Here she comes....

And here she is singing some song I had never heard except for the 5000 times she played it on her karaoke machine at home in preparation for the program.

Grandpa came for a visit. This is the only picture I took! That is terrible. But all of the kids had lots of fun with him. Grandpa actually babysat for all 3 of them while Sid and I went to a Christmas party one night. Grandpa slept late the next morning.

Then we got a little bit of snow and of course that meant immediate sledding gear on and out the door.

Uncle Will came in from Arizona for Christmas. Cousin Margaret came over for dinner a couple days before Christmas.

Here is Leah on Christmas Eve morning. She is opening one of Sid's presents. So damn cute.

"Oh here you go, Mom. I am helping."

Christmas Eve...

In our Christmas pj's and ready for Santa!

Okay! Now it's Isaac's turn to hold Leah. (Everyone pray!)

Happy Birthday Jesus! And thank you Santa! Wow- check out the lute!

Leah loves the trampoline. Definitely a winner with all of the kids.

Grace and Isaac help Leah with her presents...b/c the 500 they just opened of their own were not enough.

Leah loves her puppy Violet...on the trampoline.

Grandpa got Isaac these giant blocks. They were also a huge hit.

Santa brought Grace an Easy Bake Oven. Here is her first masterpiece. Looks delectable doesn't it?

Santa brought Isaac some glow-in-the-dark stars...I am attempting to put them on the ceiling. It was a very big event.

All of the kids are now tired and ready for bed. Whatever.

And the biggest surprise for Christmas is that it began to snow that night. The next morning was a beautiful winter wonderland. Isaac and Nana built this snowman. And that is the end of our Christmas holiday story.

Isaac's Big Party

2010-11-21T18:23:00.001-08:00

Isaac had a big party at Play Nation on Saturday. The funnest party about a three year old's party is that at age 3 they finally get what it means to have a birthday. So he was very excited anyway, and then on top of it all...low and behold...all of his friends just happened to be at the same indoor play area! Isaac just couldn't believe what a coincidence it was to see so many of his friends. Of course Isaac and Evan had to sit next to each other.
We had lots and lots of food and drink. We ordered pizza and breadsticks; I made lasagna. There was fruit and salad and of course cupcakes and ice cream. Okay...there was champagne too.
Leah was there too! You can't see, but she had on her pink UNC onsie in honor of her brother's split UNC/Spiderman party.
And of course Hayden and Grace had to sit together too.
I have no idea what they are looking at.
The bounce house was a huge hit...and the three musketeers had fun catching up.
Grace and Jack...I think that Grace has always had a crush on Jack until this year when she realized that he is in the 4-yr old class and not in Kindergarten. I guess younger men are out.
Aunt L and Nana came up for the big party.
How cool are these cupcakes? I made them. I didn't.

The Wall

2010-11-20T18:23:00.000-08:00

This is the video I was trying to post the other day of Isaac working on the wall we are taking down in the dining room/kitchen.

Happy Birthday Isaac!

2010-11-20T13:48:00.000-08:00

First- I realize I didn't blog yesterday...I completely forgot! I was so busy getting ready for Isaac's party that I just didn't even sit down at my computer last night. So I will not accomplish my goal of 30 days straight. However, I am not throwing in the towel just yet. I am still going to attempt to finish the 30 day goal.

On to better and brighter topics.

Isaac's 3rd birthday was yesterday! Three is such a special birthday because it is the first birthday where they actually understand that it is a special day.

Yesterday morning we all woke up; Isaac helped to make some blueberry muffins; and then he blew out 3 candles before we were off to school/preschool with 15 chocolate frosted Spiderman cupcakes.

I still cannot get any videos to download- so I am going to try and use YouTube for now.

Day #9- Double Fisted

2010-11-18T19:31:00.000-08:00

With lollipops that is. If you look closely you can see two little sticks popping out from Leah's fist. We stopped by the dry-cleaners after dropping Grace at school. Isaac was holding the basket full of lollies digging through to make a strategic decision. Leah just grabbed what she could get. Not knowing she had stumbled onto a gold mine she stuck them in her mouth just because she puts everything in her mouth. I decided to go along with the new find since we were a half mile from home and felt I could easily manage the situation if need be. Sure enough the wrapper was maneuvered off of the root bear dum-dum in all of 17 seconds. And then came the sh_t eating grin that you see in the photo. I did eventually have to take the candy from the baby. And yes, she did lose her mind when I did that.

PS- After all that strategy Isaac came up with cream soda! I had to give up my strawberry shortcake.

Day #8- Santa is VERY controversial

2010-11-17T18:50:00.000-08:00

No pictures today. Sorry family.

So I received some interesting feedback on yesterday's "Believing in Santa" post.

Most was supportive. However a few mentioned that because of Santa, Christmas becomes about gifts or taking rather than receiving. I also heard that without Santa then children do focus more on Christ.

So in response to that... Santa is a part of Christmas whether he should or shouldn't be. He just is! I mean what are you going to do...not take your children in public beginning in mid November through Christmas? You can tell your children he is not real and that is fine. But they are still going to see him everywhere. As for the presents- and children becoming greedy and focusing on all of the taking rather than the giving- I hate to say it, but gift-receiving is one of the fun parts of Christmas for everyone, not just children. I don't think most children are greedy, at least not the ones I know. But they are excited, very excited and they should be. Receiving surprise gifts is always fun no matter when it is. I get excited too. So unless the parents and family and friends are not giving said children any gifts for Christmas...how do you avoid this want/desire?

As for the giving, most parents I know spend lots of time on the "giving" part of Christmas and working with their kids. But by nature kids do not naturally know about giving. Geez, has anyone ever seen a bunch of 2 and 3 (and sometimes 4, 5, 6,7, etc) year-olds in a preschool class who all want to play with the stroller or the shopping cart? It isn't pretty. None of them are saying "Sure, go ahead Jackson ('cause you know there is a Jackson in the class) have a turn with the stroller." or "No really Ava, I really want you to have the shopping cart first." They covet and hoard. It's just the truth. So I think that giving at Christmas needs to be a fundamental whether or not you believe in Santa.

Finally, the part about Santa detracting from Christ. I have only known one family who has not allowed their children to believe in Santa. And yes, they are deeply religious. In general their children know lots more about Christ and the Bible than my children may ever know. But faith and religion are not one in the same. So is their faith stronger? Do they focus more on Christ? I don't know- possibly. But not because they don't believe in Santa. Maybe because they just talk more about Christ. Which of course is a wonderful thing. But in our home Santa doesn't substitute for Jesus. In fact, in our home we tell our kids that Santa works for Jesus. And in spirit he does.

Day #7- An encounter with Santa

2010-11-16T19:16:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe I have blogged everyday for a week. I also cannot not believe I have committed to this right now. Things are hectic on the homefront. Isaac's birthday is on Friday, his party is on Saturday. Nana and Aunt L are headed in town for the big occasion. Isaac's class Thanksgiving party is on Thursday so I have to cook for that plus he wants Spiderman cupcakes for his birthday on Friday. We should have contractors starting on 'the wall' any day and we are refinancing our mortgage! Phew. Good thing we only have three small children.

So we were at the mall last night celebrating flu shots. (Only poor Leah had to get the shot, the big kids got the mist.) Santa was there. Grace and Isaac were beside themselves with excitement. They begged to see Santa, but I was thinking that Sid would want to join us for this big event, so I said no. Not even a trip to the Disney Store could persuade them otherwise. Of course there was no line so I figured "Why not?" It was pretty funny. Grace became suddenly shy and couldn't remember a thing on her Christmas list. Isaac was fascinated with the paper reindeer antlers Santa puts on your head as you leave. Leah thought that Santa was a stuffed animal and wanted to eat him. But she did not want to eat him enough to let him hold her. So Grace held her and we got a decent photo with everyone at least facing the camera.

As we left the mall Isaac was yelling back to Santa to confirm that, yes indeed Santa would bring him a present, and then he told Santa at least 10 times that he loved him. Part of me wanted to tell him to stop yelling, but who am I to stop a child from communicating with Santa?

On the way home Grace explained how a girl in her class said that Santa is not real. My response was to explain that the little girl may have been mistaken. I asked Grace if she believed in Santa- she said yes- I said I believed too. I did confess that the Santa in the North Pole had to have other Santas help him at all of the different malls, but she seemed okay with that. She really wants to believe and I hope she does for a long time.

So what is the deal with parents not letting a 5 year old believe in Santa? The whole explanation that it deters from Christ is just not true. My kids know that the reason for Christmas is Jesus' birth. They also know they get lots of presents...but from everyone. If you take Santa out of the equation my kids are just going to know they now get presents from everyone plus mom and dad and Jesus is still the reason for the season. Taking away Santa just takes away special Christmas fun. Why do parents do that? Also, if your child is old enough to keep the 'Santa' secret then maybe they are old enough to know the truth. However, if your child is not old enough to keep the 'Santa' secret then they are young enough to still believe in Santa. Again, parents chill out. Much bigger fish to fry in the future.
Have a great night!

Day #6 Hillridge Farms

2010-11-15T19:33:00.000-08:00

We headed to Hillridge Farm on Sunday. It was 70 degrees and gorgeous! We all had a fabulous time. The hi-lite for the kids was the face painting and the huge slide. Isaac chose a purple basketball with flames. Very cool. Grace chose a pink and blue design thingy. Very princessy. Had I known the face painting would be so popular I would have done it myself and saved the 30 min drive for a future time when Leah likes riding in the car.
Here they are after a run down the slide. I have a short video of the event but I am having issues downloading my videos all of a sudden. I am working on it.
Here is Loo and I watching the ponies walk in circles. She loves animals and really does want to eat the ponies. Will I regret wearing those big sunglasses someday?
Here is Loo trying to eat the pony. She was so excited she could hardly stand herself. She started to rock on it like it was her rocking horse at home! Everyone was laughing.
Family photo- CHEESE! and cheesy. Guess what team Isaac likes?
The hay jump is always good for lots of fun and hay in the eyes. Every year...hay in the eyes.
OH- and here is princess Grace.

Kit

2010-11-14T20:04:00.000-08:00

This is Kit and Grace. Kit is an American Girl Doll and Grace received her from Nana last Christmas. On Friday show-and-tell was for the letter K. Of course Kit got to visit Kindergarten. Then Kit got to visit the playground after school and since then Kit and Grace have again become inseparable. They have a hot and cold relationship. Anyway, I think Kit and Grace will be "on" again for a while. As Grace was going thru toy catalogs making her Christmas list there were lots of Kit items making the list. Kit is going to have a fabulous Christmas.

Day #4- The Wall

2010-11-13T18:26:00.000-08:00

Today Isaac and Sid took on an ill-placed wall between our kitchen and dining room. The wall is directly in front of the door leading from the kitchen to the garage. The wall also has cabinets and a countertop attached...so there was lots of construction to be done. Isaac was in Heaven and did manage to take out a fairly large chunk of the drywall. He was so excited when Sid gave him a real tool. We had to monitor him closely though so that he wouldn't take out any appliances or small children. We had a couple of close calls - with Sid's legs.Here- progress is being made
Working together as a team?

Day #3- Daylight Savings

2010-11-12T19:40:00.000-08:00

No pictures today. Sorry.

I just need to address the absurdity of DLS. I do think in 100 years people will look back to the "old days" when people changed their clocks twice a year. Let's be real. The days of saving a few bucks keeping the lights off because we have daylight instead, are long gone. I do believe the stat that the offset in air-conditioning expenses exceed the savings in lighting electricity. But mostly it is just the hassle that is ridiculous; for a month after the time change I will look at a clock in my home/car/watch and wonder if it is one I changed or forgot. Not to mention what a nightmare it can be if you have children.

It has been published that both car accidents and heart attacks increase the week following DLS. Isn't that reason enough to abolish the entire process?

Can't our government do one valuable thing and get rid of this ritual?

As my brother would say..."Just keepin' it real."

Day #2- Tired Mom

2010-11-11T18:05:00.001-08:00

So here we are on day 2 of my 30 day commitment. Before I get into the drama of the day- let's just take a minute to adore my precious baby Leah. I feel better already.

And now for Grace and Isaac. Grace has on the pink skirt standing towards the back. They were not fighting for the brief second of this particular camera shutter.

So anyway we went to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham today and enjoyed being outside in the 65 degree weather. The kids stopped fighting which was an added bonus. All was well until little Leah crawled into a fire ant hill. She sustained about 15 bites. I had some emergency meds with me b/c a similar thing happened to Isaac about a year ago. So I was able to stop the pain and swelling quickly. But I still stripped her down and changed her clothes and gave her lots of extra love and attention for the rest of the day. I'm sure she will have some nice blisters in the days to come. She is so tough. She only cried for a few minutes. Damn ants. Are they really that critical in the food chain? That was the only real drama for the day. Isaac washed his hair three times in the shower tonight. I just let him do it. Wasn't worth arguing about-truthfully I didn't have the energy to fight him. But it took a long time.

Thanks for reading...you are probably ready for bed now. You're welcome.

Kmart Fun

2010-11-10T14:40:00.000-08:00

Is it November?

2010-11-10T12:48:00.000-08:00

I miss blogging almost everyday. Seems like blogging may be a form of therapy for me and I am in denial. So here is what I am going to attempt to do...this is crazy- and I am a little out of it today- but I am going to blog everyday for the next 30 days! This is not a commitment of pictures, just a commitment to blog. I make no promises on length, humor, or even decent content for that matter. Just want to see if I can do it.

So here goes...

Day 1- I took Isaac to his first gym class today without me there next to him to help, manage, monitor, or spot. He will be three next week so the gym is letting him start a little early, but he is totally ready. It is a sports class and today they worked on football- Sid will be pleased. He did surprising well with all of the skills...especially the skill of sitting and paying attention. So anyway, here's what kills me. So a mom walks in about 20 minutes late with her little boy and 5 mos old baby in the infant carrier...and talking on her mobile phone. She couldn't open the door to the building. So she stood outside for about 2 minutes talking on her phone. Finally she put the baby down and opened the door, still on her phone, the 3 yr old walked in, she held the door open with her butt and bent down to pick up the carrier. She managed to get everyone inside but then couldn't think to help her son with his shoes so he could go into the class. Finally she hangs up, helps her son and starts talking to the girl behind the desk. She explained she was on the phone with her mom who lives here in Raleigh. They see her or talk to her everyday. Really? I'm sorry, and like I said earlier I am a little out of it today, but the whole mobile phone obsession is out of control. When the phone is so glued to your ear that you cannot function as a reasonable human being then you have a problem. Yes, you really do. No one is that important; not you or the person on the other end. I would dare say she was talking on the phone the entire ride over in the car as well. And for those of you who know me, you know that I am totally against talking and texting while driving. I cannot even count how many times a day I think "idiot" ( I would like to say "idiot" but then Isaac will say it too) to a driver I see and then later see they are on their phone!

So that is all for today. Here are some pix.
Grace is playing basketball right now. She is on the Knicks. There are some great little players on her team. She is the youngest and lacking in skill but only b/c of age. Next year she will be right where they are. I am a little worried about this. Everyone is holding their kids back for Kindergarten it seems like and though academically I am not so worried I am begin to see a trend in the athletics. Wow- things have changed in the last 30 years.
Here is my little crew on Halloween. They collected over 10 pounds of candy. We sent it to our troops and the kids were really proud of that so there was no fight.
Here is my little angel in her new bicycle helmet...if we are all ever healthy enough and at the same time warm enough outside on a weekend to go for a ride!
Isaac did not quite make it into his bed for this nap. I tried to move him and he got mad at me. I did cover him up though.
Grace and Isaac on the dragon rollercoaster at the fair. We only went once this year. Next year I will drag them all a few more times. Kindergarten and morning naps put a damper on my NC State Fair routine for this year.

October...Here we come!

2010-10-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

Obviously blogging has dropped on my priority list. I know I am losing my readers, but that is just life right now. Seems like I have had at least one sick kid for the last 8 weeks. Great start to the cold/flu season. Can only imagine how Nov, Dec, Jan, and Feb are going to turn out. Other than chronic snot we are having a good time.Here is Isaac with his triplets. He has two of them in a sling...the babies are connected to the sling by their necks (like real mommies and daddies carry their babies of course).
Almost two weeks ago we met the Kizakeviches at the pumpkin patch to stock up on pumpkins and other crazy looking squashes. Here is Isaac with his best friend Evan.
Here is my little princess.
Here is my big princess with her best bud, Hayden. The height difference is crazy.
A wagon was necessary for toting heavy...little boys.
The gang.
Ah- here we are on any random morning...Leah sneaks into the sun room for some quiet time with the plant.
"Oh! Hi Mom! Don't mind me...just eating the plant!"
If I do say so myself, I made a fantastic meat sauce for dinner tonight with some penne tossed in. Leah loved it! Red sauce is great for one's complexion, didn't you know.
Took the girls to the grocery store today. Isaac was in preschool. Leah was in Heaven riding with big sis in the race car. She drove for both of them. Seriously though, I spend $800 a month on groceries. And I waste nothing. Groceries are crazy expensive...got to pay for those stimulus packages somehow! The only damn thing stimulated was my grocery bill!
Saturday we went to a Halloween birthday party. Spiderman showed up. He looks remarkably like my son Isaac.
Here is the ice princess. Who did not want to wear her beautiful sparkly shoes that she begged for because they hurt her feet just like her mother said they would.
And here is our precious little pumpkin who was honestly the hit of the party. Who can top this level of cuteness?

September and the fam...

2010-09-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

So, I am not a big fan of people saying "Oh! I am just so busy!" Because really, I mean how busy can one be? We all choose to be busy- it's not like someone is making us be busy. I can imagine that Bill Gates may actually be busy, and maybe our Presidents...though our current one does seem to vacation and do a whole lot of talk shows. Anyway all that being said, I will be the first to admit that my pregnancies were not immaculate conceptions...I am well aware of how babies are brought into the world; so again, my level of business is/was a choice. But I am telling you, having 3 small children at home is a busy life. And I think most parents of school age children will agree that the months of May and September are the craziest of the year. So this September has proven to meet that expectation.

The biggest adjustment is having school every single day. There is always a drop-off and a pick-up schedule, plus a morning and afternoon nap schedule, plus a nursing schedule, plus 3 meals a day, plus snacks, plus diapers, homework, school projects, help in bathroom, bedtime, plus just spending time and having fun. This list doesn't even include chores and errands. :-) So obviously I am not performing brain surgery, but seriously to make it all work, and work well for us all, requires a certain level of busy-ness. And we do have fun- everyday. And that is what my goal is for everyday. To remember that I am staying home to make my children a priority and to do that I have to spend quality time with them. And with all that has to be accomplished in a day, it is easy to say that running errands with little people in the backseat is "spending time" or that merely being in the house with them while folding laundry is "spending time"- but kids don't like to run errands and fold laundry. Kids like to read and play outside and show off and be pushed on the swing. So, our busy schedule includes all of those things too.
Our sweet Leah is a terrible night time sleeper. Awful. Up 3-5 times a night. But she is so happy and sweet during the day it is hard to hold a grudge.
Isaac loves shoes. His daddy loves this picture.
My princess. She is the youngest in her K class and she is kicking booty and taking names. That's my girl. Just started reading her first words this week. My heart swelled with pride.
Uncle Ben sent us Oregano the Orangutan... he is a huge hit and he is huge.
Isaac sporting Daddy's triathlon gear after his race two weeks ago.
Sid and some of his buddies roomed together at the White Lake Triathlon. Sid's buddy Gary is a big guy- but the shower is tiny anyway. Gross.
Leah tackling daddy at the pool- the last weekend it was open. We miss the pool so much.
Isaac and Daddy digging at the museum in Durham...hoping to find some dino bones.
Nana with Leah. Check out the rolls on that baby. I am so proud!

And finally- Isaac got a new bike. He was way too tall for his old one and way over-due. He loves it and is now, officially, a big boy! :-(

Grace's First Day of Kindergarten!

2010-09-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

Grace started Kindergarten today! She attends at Bay Leaf Baptist Church about 4 miles from our house. It is a half-day Kindergarten taught by a teacher with 32 years experience. Her teacher taught at a much larger Christian school in our area for 25 years. There is also an assistant and a total of 12 kids in her class.

Grace has been waiting for this day since summer began. And she is ready. However, it has been a little hard on me the last few days. I am thrilled for her and so happy that we made the decision to enroll her in this program, but sad for me. Grace and I have been together constantly over the last 5 years. Kindergarten marks a new time of school and friends and, well, separation. :-) Hard to let go.

We all went to school today to see her off. We had to do a little hair redo in the parking lot. Daddy had the baby and took pictures and Isaac was probably off peeing and saying "poop."

Here she is at the front door. Smile bigger than that ridiculously large backpack!

And here she is outside of her classroom. She went right in and found her name. She was so excited I was afraid she was going to kiss a boy. Fortunately a little boy named Isaac sits at her table, so hopefully he reminds her too much of her brother.

Yesterday she got to meet her teachers. This is her classroom. Her teacher is the one in the turquoise in the back.

When I picked her up today she had the biggest twinkle in her eye. She said she had so much fun but it was a lot of work! I was relieved that she was not exhausted and overwhelmed as so many of our friends' kids have experienced after being in school for over 7 hours as Kindergartners! However, she did throw out all of the Tupperware I put in her lunch today. That was the only bummer.

I am so proud of my daughter and the little person God is molding her to become. She is brave and smart, sweet and thoughtful.

Our New Wheels

2010-09-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

Please note we did NOT buy a minivan as foretold by lots of friends! :-) This is our new Yukon and we love it! I can fit all 3 carseats in the second row so we don't even need the 3rd row. However, the 3rd row is huge and also seats 3 people. And even when using the 3rd row there is lots of storage behind it. The kids love the car for only one reason...it has a DVD player in it. They were really bummed when they first found out we were not getting a minivan. I couldn't figure out why...then I discovered it was because they thought that only minivans have DVD players. Pitiful. Anyway, they love the big truck now and how high they sit up. I love that we are super safe (I think only a semi-truck rivals this thing) and that I have Onstar! So wonderful. I highly recommend GMC cars if only for this option. My kids will never be locked in the car and I can never get lost! This car has already blessed us in many ways. Isaac now sits up close instead of the very back. We have fun conversations in the car and everything including strollers, groceries, and pool toys all fit at the same time. This is my very funny little boy wearing Strawberry Shortcake. Grace and I were in stitches over this one.

What a big week for Leah!

2010-08-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

Leah had a big week. Lots of milestones. Her 7 mos birthday was on Sunday, please keep that in mind. First, she learned how to go from the crawling position to the sitting position. The first couple of times she did it she wasn't exactly sure what she had done- but we all cheered her on and she was extremely pleased with herself. However, the excitement was short lived as her new skill kept her up much the following few nights. She would constantly sit up through the night and just cry. No matter how many times we laid her down she would sit up again. After my 3rd night of severe sleep deprivation I was not thinking that this skill was so cool after all. Then, during this "new skill" phase she cut two teeth on the bottom front. They are very cute. Those also caused some night time disturbances.

At this point I haven't slept in 3 months, and things are not looking good. For whatever reason, Leah just likes to be up at night and has a hard time soothing herself. She recently began to stuff her blankie in her mouth and that was worrying me. So we tried the paci again. I tried to give it to her a couple of weeks ago and she wanted nothing to do with it. She took it! Praise the Lord! The child really does need to suck on something to sleep, and the paci has helped the last few nights, but she still has a love/hate with it. Sometimes she wants it and sometimes she doesn't. I cannot figure it out. So she is sleeping a little better at night, but when she does wake up, she still sticks her blankie in her mouth, rather than the paci, and I still have to go in her room to get her back to sleep. So the sleep deprivation looks like it may continue for a while.

But the really big news is that Leah started standing yesterday! She actually did it in her crib on Sunday night when I put her down. She was fussing and I looked on the monitor and she was crying because she had stood up and couldn't figure out how to get down! Needless to say, we have dropped her mattress to the low position so she cannot topple out of the crib. So yesterday she spent most of the day finding things to pull-up on. She was absolutely thrilled with her accomplishment and was screaming with joy. Of course Grace and Isaac were also thrilled and screamed with her too. I was hoping that she was so tired that she would have a good night of sleep, but she didn't. Ugh. Maybe she just got Grace's night sleeping gene.

Anyway, good times here. My little baby is right on track with her big brother to be walking at 10 months old. I cannot even imagine what kind of toll that will take on the Christmas tree this year.

This is Leah standing with big brother nearby to catch her if she falls.

And here is the action live!

Isaac is still 2!

2010-08-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

My handsome little prince is slightly lacking in the etiquette of a prince. No matter- he is adorable and hilarious most of the time. Lately he throws out the word poopy like Obama throws out tax dollars. My only request is that he refrain from using his favorite word at the dinner table. This is challenging at times as the word poopy goes well with food words. See video at the bottom for a good laugh. Of course Nana was egging it on. I was filming on the deck of our beach house.

Grace is 5 years old!

2010-08-15T17:47:00.000-07:00

Some photos I took on the boat dock behind the beach house on Ocean Isle.
I am flattered that I look like my daughter. :-)

Well, actually she was five on July 13th...but as I mentioned earlier, when you have 3 small kids, everything is a little delayed.

Leah is 6 months old!

2010-08-15T05:46:00.000-07:00

Well, actually she was 6 months old on July 22nd...but with the 3rd sometimes things are a little delayed. Our little Leah wins awards for being the easiest baby ever...from 8am until 8pm. For the hours following we have no comment. :-)
One of her favorite things to do is to play on the floor. She is rolling everywhere and crawling...yes crawling. Hasn't mastered the hands and knees yet, but the army crawl is extremely efficient.
I took the following 3 photos while on the dock at our beach house.

This is my cutie playing on the floor at home.

Her little head with ears sticking out just kills me.

Big old blue eyes.

" Hi Mommy!"

"I Love you Mommy!"

Ocean Isle and Sunset Beaches

2010-08-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

Last week we went on vacation. We stayed on Ocean Isle Beach and spent a few mornings on Sunset Beach with the Kizakevich family. This was our 4th summer vacationing with them- they are like family to us. The weather was perfect. It only stormed one day and it was in the afternoon. We all had fun sitting on the upper deck watching the storm...not sure how safe that is. Nana drove to meet us and we all had a wonderful time together. I enjoyed having all of the extra hands and the kids loved all of the attention. Sid got to ride his bike and go fishing on the dock behind the house. We rented the same house last year. Leah wasn't the best sleeper, but she isn't winning any awards at home either...so might as well be tired on vacation I guess. We rented a bike for Nana and a special bike for Sid so that Leah could ride too. She loved it!

Here is Sid fishing off of the dock behind the house. The big kids loved fishing too.

Nana and her grandbabies.

Me and my babies.

The rugrats.

One morning on the deck.

Grace and Leah playing cars together. And yes, my six month old is starting to crawl.

Daddy working hard.

Leah LOVING the surf!

But not her hat.

Grace befriended some young adults playing a game with water balls. None of this was surprising to Sid and me. Grace loves to meet new people and she loves games. What was surprising is that the people she met loved having her play because she was really good. In fact they let her play two days in a row!

Isaac and Daddy, meanwhile, dug a trench around our umbrella to protect us from the incoming tide.

Sid, Leah, and Isaac sand off in the water.

Grace catches some waves.

And finally a big wave fills the trench and Isaac was thrilled! He protected his turf!

I am so proud that my kids love key lime pie. Some parents pride themselves in broccoli and green beans. Not in our home. Key lime pie will take you further in life.

Here is our Leah riding with her daddy.

Isaac in a tide pool on Sunset Beach. Grace and Hayden on Sunset together.

Leah v the stupid Paci

2010-07-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

So the nights have become an interesting place around here. Our little Leah has gone from being a great sleeper to an almost 'Grace Mitchener' sleeper. It all started about 7 weeks ago; she was 4 1/2 months old. She started waking constantly needing the paci put back into her mouth- literally like 15 times a night. Crazy! She doesn't use the paci in the day. We just kept holding out knowing that eventually she would be able to put it in her mouth by herself one of these days. But things just kept getting worse. She has 3 waking hours...11pm, 1am, 5am. This is fairly normal for a 6 mo old- but instead of waking, putting the paci in and the baby going back to sleep...the baby was beginning to NOT go back to sleep without lots of rocking and walking. And even then, she seemed to want her paci, but when you put it in her mouth she would get really mad and spit it out. But then she would cry for it and eventually hold it in her mouth and go back to sleep. For whatever reason things got really bad this last week. She was up for 2 hour blocks in the middle of the night just crying and sleeping on me...the mommy...because if the daddy even walked into her room the benevolent dictator would wail. And so this is how it has been. She just couldn't settle with the stupid paci in her mouth, but yet she needed it all at the same time. And she was actually tired of me holding her, but that was the only way I could keep putting the stupid paci in her mouth. So, short story long, after the worst night ever on Sunday night ( I maybe got 3 hours of sleep) I woke up Monday morning and decided that I was done with the stupid paci. I prayed all day that God would give me the strength to hear my baby cry and know that I was actually doing something good for her. Sid and I were scared, but as veteran parents we had faith that we were doing the right thing. So I put her to bed last night without the stupid paci and she cried for 26 min- we went in several times to comfort her. She woke up many times through the night and had one other long crying spell at her 1:00am waking. She woke again in the early morning to eat and then slept until 8am. She fussed a little before both of her naps today but then went to bed with no fussing tonight. I am hopeful that she will do better than last night. And so that's it. I took the stupid paci away from my 6 month old. And I know we are all better for it. Last week Leah got to sit in the front of the grocery cart for the very first time. She loved it!

Leah's first real food is a hard sourdough pretzel. I love these because they don't break down in her mouth. She just gnaws and gnaws and then drops it on the floor and it breaks into a hundred pieces. Then Isaac comes to step on and crush them into a million pieces.

I love this video of Leah. She is looking in the mirror....

Happy 5th Birthday Grace!

2010-07-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

For Grace's 5th birthday she chose to have a few close friends meet her at the nail spa in the mall. They all received a pedicure complete with flowers painted on there toes and some color added to their nails with flowers there as well. They were all very excited to sit in the huge massage chairs. Most giggled when their feet were massaged and of course they all chose crazy colors. After their beauty treatments we had a "Rainbow" party in the mall. Complete with lots of balloons, pizza, rainbow fruit, rainbow cake and rainbow goodie bags. Nana came in town for the big event and daddy took care of the little kids. It was hard to miss us in the food court.

Here they all sit...so tiny in those chairs.

Grace loves pedicures...it's our favorite thing to do for "Mommy/Grace" time.

This is Ryen and Carly.

Now we are drying.

Nails are now complete and ready to be messed up before completely dry!

Rainbow fruit.

Happy birthday to you...happy birthday to you...happy birthday dear Grace...happy birthday to you!
Here is Lauren, Elizabeth, Grace and Ryen...and my Rainbow Cake!
This is Meghan, Carly and Hayden...who fit right in with her rainbow dress.
Even Leah was in on the action...chewing on a rainbow napkin.
Isaac did not get nail polish in his goodie bag- he got an Iron Man shirt!

Hot in July

2010-07-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

It has been crazy hot over the last week. We have been at the pool- but also doing lots of inside activities as Leah can only handle so much. Last weekend Grace and Isaac both started jumping/diving off of the diving board. Grace is a fantastic swimmer and she jumps in. Isaac cannot swim and he dives in...with Daddy there to catch him. This was taken on Wednesday- we played inside this day. We took the kids to see the Durham Bulls Minor League Baseball game on Monday night. They love going to the games. Grace will not leave her seat. Leah was very interested too... And tons of cotton candy always makes things more interesting. I love when they play with their toes. I have a picture of all three of them holding on to their piggies. When we bought the playset 4 years ago I would have called BS if you'd said to me that my own children would someday fill all three swings. How wonderful. These are my tomatoes. I am almost ready to pick my first one. The contraption they are growing in is called the Earth Box and it's amazing. Strawberry shortcake is better when eaten as a finger sandwich. Thank you to Grandpa there was a good hour of entertainment b/c of his thoughtful gift of silly string.
I hate to provide so much explanation for a video- but I must. First, unfortunately you can hardly hear a sound- we were in the garage with a fan on b/c it was so hot and the fan drowned out much of the sound. Truly disappointing b/c the songs that the kids made up are funny. I have no idea what Isaac is singing about but his body language is funny. Grace is singing about God. And her body language is just so "Grace." Her song says things like " I love my God!" "I pray to my God!" it is funny- trust me.

Dinner Last Night...

2010-07-07T19:57:00.000-07:00

If you would like to experience what our dinner conversation was like last night...please play this video of Grace at least 25 times.

Isaac's Big Boy Bed

2010-07-01T18:10:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we graduated Isaac into his big boy bed. He is doing great! A couple of times he has asked if he could have his crib back- I think the crib offers a little more protection from...??? But he stays in his bed until his Tot Clock is yellow every morning or nap time and then gets up and starts looking for parents. He is so sweet- his little self in that great big bed. He was so excited when he first saw his bed and even more excited to show his big sister that he too has a big bed.

Just one more time..."Pbbbbbt!"

Last week or so...plus another video!

2010-06-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

Grace and I went to the Rascal Flats concert on Friday night. This was her second concert and her second time seeing RF. We had a blast!

Nothing like a blueberry and pineapple snowcone to brighten up those teeth.

Grace finished her t-ball league this week and received her first ever trophy. This turned out to be a bigger deal than we expected. Now Isaac wants a trophy.

A couple of weekends ago we went to one of our local parks on the water for a picnic.

Here is the neighborhood Brat Pack. We are missing Lauren but you get the idea.

Isaac and Evan love their heels. Don't we all.

Leah learned how to go "Pbbbt!" yesterday and is having a grand time showing off. She no doubt learned this from her big brother. By the way- no babies were injured making this film.

My first video post

2010-06-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my new iPhone I can now download video to the blog. This is one of my all time favorite video clips- The second half of Isaac absolutely cracks me up.

Anyway, the story is this...We have a very long driveway and 3/4 of it is downward sloping- so we have lots of fun in both the summer and snow. Coupled with the fact that my children are fearless...well it makes for good videos.

BTW- if you don't have an iPhone you really need to get one. Nothing else even comes close. Sid has the best Blackberry on the market and he covets my iPhone.

June and HOT HOT HOT!

2010-06-23T12:43:00.000-07:00

We are having a heat wave this week- today when we got in the car after playing at the indoor play area it said 100 degrees! Poor little Leah is battling the heat well...we just never take her outside. We did have some showers last weekend and the kids had a grand time cooling off in the rain!

Here Elizabeth and Grace enjoy dumping gutter water on each other's heads.

And of course Isaac is in on the action...in his underoos.

Isaac only wanted himself to pour water on his head- naturally.

And here we built some serious towers.

My girls in their jammies first thing in the morning.

I still remember the days when my hair looked like Grace's...now I pay good money and it is anything but close.

My sweet sweet baby.

June- Eating, biking, and swimming

2010-06-07T18:42:00.000-07:00

Today was an answer to prayer- though it didn't appear to start that way. This morning the car was loaded up with towels and bathing suits to play in the fountains at the mall and a huge list for Target. We were meeting friends for lunch and didn't plan on being home until nap time. I loaded up the kids and went to start the car and no go. Dead battery. Grace actually started to cry she was so disappointed. I was too. Mostly because I am so sleep deprived that I worried that a day at home would push me over the edge and "nice" mommy would become "mean" mommy at the drop of a pin. So I prayed that God would give me the strength to handle the car issue as well as make sure the kids had a fun and loving day at home. So allow me to share. First, God provided the perfect backdrop of an 84 degree day and a nice breeze. My little Leah tried both green beans and sweet peas today. I think the picture below says it all. Needless to say she had apples for lunch. But other than her taste aversion to green veggies she just had a wonderful day. Slept great, happy, and played well all day. It always helps that Grace and Isaac love to entertain her too.

Next was Isaac. We spent lots of time together taking the car to the shop and throwing rocks in the pond. But while Leah was napping and Grace was at the neighbors we were in the backyard having a popsicle. He said, "Mommy, we can hurt Leah if we hit her. She will die." (He is really into the word "die" lately) I was a little concerned at this comment...so I waited. Then he said, "But we do not hurt Leah; we love Leah; I take care of Leah. God takes care of Leah and so does Jesus. I love you Mommy." This is the second man to melt my heart. Nothing brings more joy to a mother than hearing your children talk of God's love for them. I pray he will always know that love.

Finally my big girl. She has really turned a corner in the last couple of weeks. Her spoiled attitude is gone and it disappeared as soon as preschool ended...hmmmm. Anyway, when I tuck her in at night she loves to talk until 8:30- or until the big hand is on the 6. She picks the topic and tonight is was getting married. So we talked a little about cute boys and "love." She said kissing is gross unless you are married (phew!) and that Joseph (our neighbor) is the cutest boy and she is going to marry him. He is very cute and I would be thrilled for Grace to marry him though I think 4 and 7 is a little young to make that decision. We talked about the big party ie reception and the beautiful dress. It was our first real talk about boys and love and I felt privileged to be included. I hope I am always so trusted.

So onto the really BIG NEWS...Grace is training wheel free! About 3 weeks ago we took them off. She had been asking for weeks so we did it one evening and tried to help her- but she wanted no help. Took her about a week and a half of practice in the grass and she had the skill mastered. At the ripe old age of 4 she rides a two-wheeler and is quite proud. As she should be. Isaac loves to ride with his sister and made sure I took a picture of him too. Actually, his balance is tremendous- Sid and I think that he could ride with two wheels too- but he is convinced that he has to be 4 yrs old before he could even consider the idea. The big event for the weekend was Sid's big bike race...'TourdeCure' as seen on above jersey. He rode 103 miles on Saturday to Pinehurst and 81 miles home on Sunday. He was slightly worn out when he got home on Sunday. :-)

It was really hot- in the 90's- both days- so I was glad to see lots of rest stops and hydrating.

And so thankfully Nana came in for the weekend to help with my paparazzi.

We took the kids to the pool on Saturday and everyone was worn out. Not too worn out to make Margaritas, though.

Oh yes- this is my 4 month old who can sit up. Seriously. She is almost 4 1/2 months old and by next week I think she will be completely up- crazy baby.

Preschool Graduation

2010-05-28T18:29:00.001-07:00

I will be the first to say that 'preschool graduation,' though very cute, is kind of ridiculous. I am convinced that Hallmark invented the occasion. I have also heard that kids who go to Pre-K (don't get me started on that) have a graduation too. And then some schools even do a Kindergarten graduation. So it is possible that kids who go to pre-K graduate from something 3 years in a row. At least we set the bar high.

Anyway, Nana and Aunt L came up from Albemarle for the big event. Aunt L also came to meet little Leah who was a crowd pleaser, as usual. Here is my little smiling chunk- being held...as always.

I love all of the little milestones. She is reaching out for everything and putting it right in her mouth.

Her Nana spoils her best of all.

Before the graduation there was a reception for the graduates and their guests. This is Grace's best friend Ryen. This was their 5th year together in preschool. They both started as infants.

Actually, all three girls, Hayden, Grace and Ryen have been together since they were in the infant class.

Grace with her adoring Nana and Aunt.

Here is Grace walking in for the program.

The class of 2010!

These are Grace's most precious teachers Ms Michelle (left) and Ms Katie (right). God truly blessed this class with the most loving and amazing teachers. I cannot say enough about both of these women. They clearly walk with the Lord and the Holy Spirit just radiates from them.

Grace and Hayden after they received their diplomas. These two have spent countless hours together over the last 4 1/2 years. Preschool, summer camps, playdates and beach trips- they have had some good times together.

Proud parents.

Colonial Williamsburg

2010-05-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

On Saturday evening and Sunday we hung out in Colonial Williamsburg. We didn't see much of the historic side- mostly the shops, restaurants, and some animals. We saw a few people dressed in period clothing- but I think it was a little slow. The highlite was the horses. But before we left Isaac and Grace were playing with their jelly/rubbery/sticky hands that you can stretch and they will snap back or throw on the wall and they stick to the wall, etc. The kids were on the patio in the hotel room and we hear Grace ask Isaac, "Did that hurt?" 5 seconds later we hear a scream and Isaac starts crying. We go to check out the ruckus and sure enough, Isaac had a big welt on his tummy where apparently "it hurt" when the band snapped back this time. Kids.

We walked around for a while and saw some sheep with precious little lambs (Isaac loved them!) and then we headed for some beautiful horses. I had an apple in my bag so we cut it and showed the kids how to hold the apple so the horse wouldn't get their fingers. They loved it!

It took Daddy and Isaac a second to gather up their courage. But I was impressed- Isaac cannot stand dogs- but he loved those gigantic horses. Good call- I feel the same way.

Even little Leah got in on the action. She kept reaching out for the horses- but they thought her little fingers were food!

And so that was the end of our wonderful vacation. We drove straight home and have been trying to catch up all week. I am hoping to get Grace's graduation pictures up tomorrow.

Busch Gardens

2010-05-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

We took our first big family vacation last weekend. We took a 3 1/2 drive north to Williamsburg, VA to spend a couple of days at Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg. The trip could not have gone any better. The kids were great in the car. Isaac and Grace sat in the 3rd row and watched videos and then Isaac crashed for a good hour and a half. Leah and I sat in the second row which thrilled her that she could see mommy at all times. She slept most of the time too. Sid sat in the front by himself and drove. But I think he was okay with this as it limited his childcare responsibilities. We got to Williamsburg on Thursday afternoon. We had a two bedroom villa and it worked out great for our family. Sid and the big kids slept in one room. There was a king bed, a little window bed for Grace and Isaac slept in the pak-n-play. The first night the kids stayed up late talking but after that night there were no problems. Leah and I slept in the other bedroom. All in all we slept pretty well.

We went to Busch Gardens on Friday and Saturday and it was an absolute blast. The park is like a mini Disney World and is beautiful. Very clean and organized and so much to do. There were two water play areas for the kids. We didn't know about this so we didn't have bathing suits on the first day- but it was hot so we knew the kids would dry quickly.

One of the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales.

The big thing for kids is the Sesame Street park at BG. I was a little concerned about this since Isaac is scared to death of anyone dressed up. I was shocked he gave Ernie a hug. This was a one time thing however. For the rest of the trip he didn't get near anything or any one.

This is the Grover roller-coaster. This was the very first ride for the family. It was actually a pretty good roller coaster-

The only ride that Isaac didn't have to have Mommy or Daddy with him.

The roller coaster was so good that Grace didn't want to ride it alone and Daddy wasn't loving it. I love roller coasters so I was happy to fill in.

Isaac however was not happy to wait a turn for Mommy to come back around after riding first with Grace. We will show this photo at his wedding.

So I am bragging- but my daughter is beautiful and she does love Elmo!

Busch Gardens is divided into countries. Each area has appropriate architecture, food, etc. This ride was in Italy.

Beer bottles are cold and smooth- and no- she consumed no beer. I don't share my beer.

The bumper cars were hilarious. The kids got to drive them for about 20 minutes b/c there was no one in line behind them. The thrill on Isaac's face when he hit someone or got hit was pure delight.

On our second day at the park we were there for about 5 1/2 hours. On our way out we got the kids these huge lollipops. Isaac couldn't finish his before he was out cold. We transferred him from this rental stroller to our stroller, to the car and then to his bed in the hotel where he slept another hour and a half. I guess the little guy was completely worn out.

Leah gets to try some new things...

2010-05-25T18:14:00.000-07:00

Last week we threw Leah in the tub with the big kids. They all three loved it! Leah adores Grace and Isaac and seeks them out. They can do no wrong in her eyes. No matter how rough they are she never fusses at them and only has smiles. So, when the splashing got a little out of hand Leah just grinned, though I was less than thrilled.

Leah had her first big kid food a few days ago. A little rice cereal mixed with milk. She loved it.

If you think she is a chunk now, just imagine what she will be like in a month!

Summer is here and so it's TBall time!

2010-05-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

And before we get to T-Ball- here is little miss Leah in her purple swimming pool. She was not 100% sure about the cool water, but her sweet personality humored me for a while. Her bathing suit is the sweetest thing I have ever seen.

I know you did not miss those thighs. This is one healthy baby- no formula. I can only imagine how big she is going to get when we start her on solids!

So here we are at Grace's first T-Ball game. Isaac sported her pink helmet whenever possible.

Pre-game huddle. Grace's team (The Blue Claws) has two girls. Rumor has it that they are the only two girls in the league! Fine with us- we will show these boys how it is done.

This is Grace at bat. She hit it off of the Tee.... (note her pink helmet and cute little sport skirt)

....and she is off to first base. When I was in college I "umpired" this same age of t-ball. It is so cute b/c after the kids hit the ball they completely forget to run. They like to watch the ball.

Now she is rounding 3rd and about to head for home.

Upon arriving at home plate, her coach is waiting to give her "Five." She actually did not hit a home run. They let 7 kids bat and they only take one base at a time. Grace was the 7th batter so she got to go all the way around the infield.

Now Grace is at 1st base. This is one position that sees regular activity. Every inning each player tries out a different position.

She actually picked up a ball that was thrown to her and is now throwing it to her coach at home plate. Good form, eh?

Here Grace is backing up the second basemen...or something like that.

They both missed. So now comes the mad chase for the ball. I love this part.

Grace is the one squatting (she is #1). I am so proud of her for being aggressive.

And now for the pile-up. Rugby? Grace is right in there. Inevitably a coach has to come over and get everyone back on track. I really like her coach. He also has 3 kids. His two youngest are twin boys; both on the team.

In summary I am thrilled that Grace is playing T-ball. Softball was my favorite sport growing up and I just love watching the game. Grace really is having fun too. I like the coach and his wife (so far :-)) and I was a little concerned that they wouldn't be very "kid" friendly; but the coach is patient and realistic. Both qualities are needed when coaching or even being around pre-schoolers. Isaac loves hanging out with the players in the dugout- I have a feeling that he is going to be really good since he can already throw further than half of the kids on the team. I have met some new moms with babies and Sid is helping to coach and can't help but hang out in the dugout with the rest of the dads- there are even some UT fans on the team! So we are all finding this adventure quite entertaining.

Leah is 3 1/2 months old...

2010-05-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

Things have been busy around here. Isaac and Leah have been sick- Isaac had a crazy high fever virus last week and Leah has a bad respiratory cold. Grace came down with a fever this evening- who knows how tomorrow will play out. Mother's Day was nice/busy. Leah was really cruddy that day- so I was kind of worried and just kind of kept her close all day- no spa treatments for me; maybe next year. That's okay- with my kids is where I prefer to be.

This is my precious angel asleep on the big comfy chair in the living room. Isaac is also napping- that is why Leah is able to sleep downstairs. She is not on a nap schedule- just kind of snoozes when it suites her- what a life.

Yes- Thank goodness someone makes glue-on bows! Seriously, the bow is safely glued to her no- hair head. Grace had some hair at this point - but Leah is still quite bald.

Isaac absolutely adores Leah. His admiration of her has not faded one bit since her birth. He loves her so much and the first time he said "I Love You" was to her.

He asks to hold her at least 5 times a day. She doesn't seem to mind a bit when he is all over her.

Isaac is a little stinker most days. Mondays seem to bring out the best. Today I told him he needed a sweatshirt for our evening walk. He put on his down-vest then his sweatshirt...and the sweatshirt was on upside down. Grace attempted a correction, but I convinced her that her attempts were futile.

The latest from J Crew...

Isaac

2010-04-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't taken many photos in the last week or so- but lots of video. Unfortunately my video camera isn't compatible with my PC- so no YouTube for you.
Anyway- my Isaac keeps us all very busy. He is 2 times 2 times 2 squared. This is just 3 days of rocks collected in his pockets. I saved the washer/dryer from these little gems...but I always miss a few.

Daddy and Isaac picked out a new lawn mower last weekend. They were both excited to try it out. I can't wait to show Isaac these photos of how much he loved to mow the lawn when he is 12.

Lovin' Spring

2010-04-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

Isaac and Grace just received their school photos. I will not be sending any in the mail as they are $12 a sheet- so enjoy them on the blog!

This is Isaac's precious class. Grace has had both of these wonderful teachers.

This is Grace's class. Her teachers, Ms. Michelle and Ms. Katie truly walk with the Lord. They have been such a blessing to our entire family. They pray with the kids and set a wonderful example. I am thrilled that Grace will be going to Kindergarten, but it will be hard to leave these wonderful teachers.

I love this dress. They make it in my size and Leah's....I'm tempted.

Lauren, Elizabeth, and Grace swinging in the backyard.

Isaac and Leah sunning themselves

We have tigers in the neighborhood.

Just another day in the life of Isaac.

Happy Easter

2010-04-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

Grace and Isaac celebrated Easter 4 times. Might as well have been Christmas all over. Nana had an Easter for them, so did Grandma and Grandpa...never mind the actual Easter Bunny! But it is truly wonderful to have so many grandparents who love their grandbabies so much!
This what the Easter Bunny left for the Mitchener kids. They each received a Pillow Pet (upon the request of Grace...of course.) Grace also got a pair of pink Crocs for her American Girl doll and Isaac got a Spiderman backpack.

And then there was some candy and gum...which brought the biggest smiles.

Here are the big kids- oh yes, we made them clean-up the play room first. (It was trashed from the day before.) So they were thrilled when the big moment finally came.

And here is little Leah enjoying her Hippo Pillow Pet.

Sunday morning at church. We were the "Yellow Family."

Sunday after dinner- the kids did a hunt in our yard. I put money (little money) in their eggs. Grace got pink eggs and Isaac had blue- that way Isaac had the chance to find a few.

Grandpa meets Leah

2010-04-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

Grandpa came in town last week for a long weekend. He wanted to meet his new grandbaby and of course see how big and wild Grace and Isaac had gotten. We had gorgeous weather and spent the entire time outside. We tried to wear out Grandpa but he hung in there. Grandpa's blue eyes make it through to another generation.

At one of our public parks Grandpa and Isaac head down to the pond to throw rocks. Isaac took Grandpa to our pond several times to throw rocks as well.

Grace is sickly addicted to tire swings. Grandpa was happy to assist in the dizziness.

At the Home Depot Kid's build, butterfly houses are assembled and no fingers damaged.

Grandpa and Leah take a snooze.

End of March

2010-04-02T19:04:00.000-07:00

Boy are we ready for spring. And it is on its way! I asked Isaac to show Leah some of her toys. Gee, thank you Isaac.

Isaac got a new bike, so first I had to take a picture of Grace on her scooter. :-)

Ah yes- here is Isaac on his bike. He is excellent at riding it. Daddy brought it home after work last Friday. He hasn't stopped talking about it or riding it since.

Nana came last weekend to help while Sid went to a wedding out of town. She brought lots of treats- so we called her Easter Nana.

There is nothing better than one's hand.

Gone Fishin'

2010-03-23T13:25:00.001-07:00

I knew when we found this home that the pond in our backyard was really the best part of the entire deal. Sid loves the water and he loves to fish. Last week Sid bought the kids some rods and took them fishing over the weekend. All three of them had a wonderful time; especially since Grace and Isaac both caught a fish. I think this is a past time that will be enjoyed by all three of them (and Leah too someday) for years to come.

This week...

2010-03-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

Our weather was just amazing this week...low 70's and high 60's. We spent lots of time outside and at parks. Leah loves her red stroller (the one Grace hated) and happily sits and sleeps in it for hours at a time when outside. Fooled you! This is Grace at about 6 weeks old...see Leah below...

This is Leah today- 8 weeks old. Hmmmmm maybe the sisters will favor each other after all.

Movie Night! On Friday night we popped some corn and the kids got to stay up late watching the new Mickie Mouse video that Grandpa sent.

If you look closely, Leah is smiling. This is right after her "dinner" and she was in and out of sleep. Passed out on some colorful pillows.

Grace LOVES to carry her baby sister- only with much supervision, though. The one thing that confuses Grace is that Leah is getting bigger everyday and Grace's strength is not keeping up.

Family Outing and Leah's First REAL Bath

2010-03-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

The first big news is that Leah has blue eyes! She has beautiful big baby blues. They are not the same blue as Grace and my Dad's; they are the same blue as my eyes. So I guess the girls are going to have the blue eyes and the boys will have brown.

Sid took Friday off and we headed to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. We had weather in the 60's with a threat of rain- that was finally fulfilled right as we were leaving. We had a wonderful time together. Isaac was kind enough to let other children climb on the dinosaur with him.

Grace was just happy to be wearing a dress.

Leah was thrilled to be there.

We volunteered Isaac at feeding time. He was happy to help.

Leah's first train ride.

And now for Leah's first real bath. Her umbilical cord didn't heal correctly- it formed a granuloma. Apparently 1 in 500 babies get them. So we headed to the ped and they used some silver nitrate and it healed in about a week. So she finally got to take a big girl bath- and boy did she love it!

Here she is watching Grace. She loves to watch her big sister.

The whole family wanted to witness the big event.

How beautiful is my blue-eyed girl?!

She was talking and so happy in her bath.

And then we wrapped her up in a great, big, fluffy towel.

Leah- Weeks 4 and 5

2010-03-04T17:55:00.000-08:00

I am behind in my blogging. Leah has had some digestive issues over the last couple of weeks and has been a little more demanding- which has eaten into my publishing time. I think we have worked out some of her issues with changes in my diet and a little baby Zantec- but some of it will just take time. She is still very sweet and laid back. And boy does she get some attention from her brother and sister. This is a regular scene at our house. Little Leah rarely gets a moment to herself.

See what I mean.

Scooby Do is a favorite for all ages.

Seriously. Really. My neighbor's mother made this strawberry hat for our princess. I know- I want to eat her up too.

Big brother is CONSTANTLY loving on Leah. He loves to hold her- but I have few photos of this as I must assist in the act and so therefore am unable to photograph the moment.

And yes- she is getting big. Already 11 1/2 pounds- up 3 1/2 pounds in just 5 1/2 weeks! Go Leah.

Family Portraits

2010-03-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

We had these taken when Leah was just past 2 weeks old.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

I took about 10 photos- this ONE turned out. Phew!

Sisters- Grace truly adores Leah. She announced today that she wants to share a room with Leah. I'll make note of that and bring it up in about 10 years.

Leah seems to be fond of Grace too.

Such a sweet sweet face.

I just love her little hands.

Seriously, is this the cutest little baby you have ever seen, or what?

Daddy Daughter Dance

2010-02-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

Friday night was the Daddy Daughter Dance at our church. I wasn't able to go this year, but Grace and Sid said they had a wonderful time. A friend of mine sent me a picture of Grace dancing and a photo of the group of "little girls."

Isaac really wanted to be in on this photo.

The corsage was a big hit this year.

Grace, Hayden, Carly, Ryen, Emma, and Leelyn. All of the girls are 4, except Emma who is 3. And yes, Grace is heads taller.

The girl has got some moves!

I took this from the reflection in the mirror. Just wanted you to see how precious my little Leah is.

Sleeps and sleeps...however at night she likes to wake up a bit. We are working on it!

Photos of Leah

2010-01-29T19:05:00.000-08:00

Pictures of Leah over the last few days. We can hardly believe that she is a week old tonight. The time has already flown by.

Our Princess Leah Has Arrived!

2010-01-24T12:55:00.000-08:00

Our little angel arrived Friday night- and quite unexpectedly. As to not bore you with the details, all I will say is that by the time I was convinced that I was having "real" contractions we really had to get our behinds in gear. As usual, I went from 10 minutes apart to 4 minutes apart within 5 minutes. We finished packing, got Isaac into bed, our fabulous neighbor came over and put Grace to bed (and waited for Nana to arrive from Albemarle) and we were off to the hospital. We got to the hospital around 9:15 and had to wait in triage for a while. I was finally admitted and begging for pain meds. Also, as usual, they had a very hard time getting my IV started. So the long and short of is, I did finally get my epidural, and it was a good one (the other two didn't work with Grace and Isaac) and Leah was born about 25 min later. But even that 25 minutes of pain relief was so welcome and helped me relax and push just two times. I know, I know, I am very blessed. Here are her stats:
Birthday: Jan 22nd, 2010 11:11pm
8lbs 1oz
21 inches

This photo was taken right before we gave the kids a bath and put them to bed. I knew it was going to be my last evening with just the two of them.

Actually she weighed in at 8lbs and .5oz.

Here she is!

My fabulous doctor. Came in to deliver me and then got to go back home. Must be rough.

Here she is after her annoying bath and "assessment." We all knew that her lungs were in great shape!

Big brother and sister came to visit the next day. They are both enamored with her.

Nana and her granddaughters (and me.)

Isaac being Isaac.

Getting ready to go home. Daddy and Leah.

Ready for Leah!

2010-01-21T19:51:00.001-08:00

We finally have the nursery ready; the bottles, nipples and pacifiers sterilized; the clothes, blankets, bibs and a million other things washed; the diapers stacked. But most importantly we have her bows. I ordered some off of eBay and they have finally arrived. So now, we are officially ready!

Her name is in lights in the kid's bathroom.

This is the same crib that both Grace and Isaac used. I still love it. Leah's room is done in lavender and green and it is such a settling nursery. The lavender is very calming. In her crib is the "nap nanny." Both Grace and Isaac slept for months in their bouncy seats, swaddled, which makes buckling them in difficult. But some wonderful mother invented the nap nanny which is a huge, ergonomically correct chair that is super soft and covered in the plushest of fabrics- so the babies can sleep upright and be buckled in. Love it already!

This is the artwork that inspired the color of the room. A 9-yr old cancer patient at Duke Children's Hospital made this and we bought it several years ago at a silent auction. It is my most favorite piece of art.

This is Leah's armoir. Sid, being the handy-man that he is, installed a pull-out table for the changing pad. The nursery is small and I didn't want anymore furniture in it. It works beautifully!

This is the rocking corner. Actually, we have a plush new chair ordered for the nursery- and it should be here next week (hopefully before the baby gets here!). The corner looks very "purply," but with the new creme-colored chair, I think it will tone down the lavender. The most special thing in this room is the little green basket on the night stand. It is full of books that Grace and Isaac chose and donated for Baby Leah. Some of them a 6th grader couldn't read, but it is the thought that counts. They were both very excited to donate something to her nursery.

As for me, I am doing really well and feeling good . No hurry to bring Leah into this world until she is ready. I am measuring a little small, and apparently have been for a while (though my doctors did a good job keeping this info a secret so I wouldn't worry) and so had an ultra-sound last week to make sure that Leah was growing. She looks great. She was right at 7 pounds (from what they can best guess) which is exactly average. So by the time she hits her due date she should be at least 7 1/2 pounds if not more. Yet another reason I am content with her "baking" a little longer. We are not sure why I am small (and yes I have gained plenty of weight!!!) but more than likely it is because I began this surprise pregnancy underweight and have been trying to play catch-up ever since. It was fun to have another ultra-sound this late in the game at 38 weeks. She was wide awake and kept putting her hand up to her mouth. She is definitely a girl and head down. She didn't appear to have a whole lot of hair- so I guess I won't pack any bows. Only 6 more days until my due date. My guess is that I will not go early, but by the way things are already looking, this will be a very fast delivery. My prayer is that we make it to the hospital. Seriously. Thanks to all for your love, support and prayers. We'll keep you posted!!!

More Gymnastics

2010-01-21T19:36:00.000-08:00

I should have waited a week to take pictures- but you just never know when babies are going to be born. Anyway, Grace's gymnastics class had their program on Monday. Daddy, Isaac, and I all came to watch. It was really cute and the girls were so excited to show off their skills. Truthfully, I was impressed to see what they could do. Off of the springboard onto the mat.

Grace and one of her instructors Ms. Elise- who is wonderful.

Hanging from the low bar...fairly nice form.

Check out those glutes. She gets that from both of her parents...all of our children will have the same booty.

TaDaaaaa!

Now for the balance beam. Grace was much stronger on this than the uneven bars.

Very nice...

This is in mid-turn.

And for the dismount. Wheeeeeee!

Dance v Gymnastics

2010-01-15T05:56:00.000-08:00

Grace is about to finish up her dance/gymnastics class for the semester. She loves the gymnastics, but says she doesn't like the dance...though she always seems to have so much fun. She is signed up for 3 more months of gymnastics and then onto the spring and summer sports! Grace has on the blue skirt and white sweater.

Hanging from the high bar.

Balancing on the low bar.

Turning on the balance beam.

Showing off for the camera!

Having fun.

Mr. January

2010-01-08T13:10:00.001-08:00

Yes- Isaac is potty trained! At the ripe old age of 2 years plus 1 month, our little guy declared he was finished with diapers. And he has done great! Almost at the end of our second week and no accidents. He still wears a diaper at naptime and bedtime (which we have to duct tape on or he will take off) but wakes up dry most of the time. Anyway, he LOVES his underwear. He chose super heroes and Thomas the Train. His favorites are his Spiderman underwear- so he is modeling them in the photos below. He is very proud of his accomplishment, as he should be, and will gladly show anyone his underwear. The other day he was showing off in a public play area and my good friend called him Mr. January. I think it fit perfectly!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

Nana came to visit a couple of days before the New Year. We celebrated Christmas with her and then the kids fully wore her out for the next four days. Nana and Daddy were wonderful about letting me sleep in and get some much needed organization and "nesting" done around the house. With only 3 1/2 weeks to go before Leah arrives, I can finally say that the child has some clean clothes and a place to sleep. Still no bags are packed...but hopefully I have a couple more weeks before I need to be "that" ready. Today, Nana and Daddy took the kids to Home Depot for the their monthly Kid's Workshop. They made this cute little calendar thingy. I usually allow those things to be cute for a month or so and then they magically disappear. :-)

It appears that Isaac is sitting quietly. Must be an optical illusion.

Grace made the amazing gingerbread house in preschool. Since I didn't think it was something to keep for next year, I at least wanted to get a photo of it.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-27T18:04:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year Grandpa and Aunt Holly made the journey down south. Raleigh, as usual, had better weather than the blizzard Winona was getting...but it was cold and rainy here- so not much better. Christmas Eve. The kids have the Christmas jammies on and anxiously await Santa's visit!

Christmas morning. Isaac and Grace patiently wait for Grandpa and Aunt Holly to get up and around so we can all head downstairs and check out the loot!

Santa left a little of one of his cookies- Isaac was more than happy to polish it off.

Santa worked a deal with Disney World and got Grace this official Cinderella Castle with lots of extra princesses and princes, lights and sounds. Good find Santa!

Grandpa and Isaac figure out the guitar that Grandma sent.

Not surprisingly, Grace already knows how to use hers.

Didn't you know that stockings are not to be hung by the chimney with care- they are to be worn.

A tea party.

Go Winona State! (Note that the jerseys sport the number 58...which just happened to be Daddy's number in college and Papa's number too!)

Mesmerized by a movie on a cold and rainy Christmas day.

Mother Mary

2009-12-26T16:37:00.000-08:00

Grace was Mary in the preschool Christmas program this year. (The program was last week...I am a little behind) There were no speaking or acting parts, she just sat on stage and played the roll. She had a good time, and I personally think she seemed to fit the part well- with her sweet little face. :-)

Waving at Mommy (Who was standing on a chair in the back with a zoom lens!)

Here is Grace with her good friend Grayson who was the angel.

Isaac LOVES leaf blowers. He especially loves when his daddy blows leaves. On this day Isaac got to do it himself.

He wasn't thrilled with the amount of leaves blowing in the air, so he is now placing the leaves in front of the blower to ensure a bigger flurry.

An Evening with the Elves

2009-12-13T18:21:00.000-08:00

We headed back to Marbles this year for the "Evening with the Elves" party. A little different this year- most noticeably the additional 500 people to whom they sold tickets. They ran out of food by 7:30. That was also not good. But all in all we had a good time. The kids got to wear their jammies- which they loved. We also invited lots of friends. So I hated that it was crowded and foodless for all of the money we paid, but the kids had so much fun playing with each other. Since the desserts had run out before we even finished dinner, we had to stop at McDonalds on the way home and get ice cream cones. The kids didn't get to bed until after 10, but slept in until 11 the next morning! Yeah!

Isaac and Sid listen to the awesome band. They really were good.

Sid has only been to Marbles a couple of times. He has never been upstairs...but of course Isaac feels right at home. So Sid took Isaac upstairs and Isaac took off for the tool benches. Sid lost him momentarily and was in a panic. In the distance he saw the tool benches and knew right away that was where his son had run off to- and sure enough!

Grace and Bella built a huge Lego tower and trapped themselves within.

Mommy and Isaac built a big tower too.

Isaac was so proud of his tower. He really did a great job of randomly stacking the blocks.

Grace and Caleb built this tower all by themselves.

Santa, Christmas Tree, and Our New Living Room

2009-12-11T14:01:00.000-08:00

We have had a busy week...and truthfully looking forward to things slowing a bit before Christmas. I took the kids to see Santa last night. Grace was so excited and had a nice chat with Santa before we tossed Isaac into the mix. He was fascinated by Santa, but didn't really want to sit with him or talk to him. So I was pretty pleased with what we got.

Last weekend on a 40 degree rainy day we headed out for our Christmas tree. Thank goodness for mud puddles- they always make things more interesting.

And finally our new living room: We love it. No more wet bar and ill-placed door. We have a whole new color-scheme too. It is so nice to utilize the entire room and there is room for lots of seating. We are still waiting on the cabinet doors for the television...but we are in the process of hiring someone to install those as our original contractor decided to get a little too greedy.