Oh my!

Madelyn says, "Look what my sister did yesterday!"

Bookstore retreat

I love to spend time in the bookstore. The girls and I spent some time at Barnes and Noble this afternoon while we waited for Kevin. It's a good thing that I like to check books out of the library because if I bought every book in the bookstore that appealed to me, I'd have my own library! What I could do if I had enough time to read more self-help books.

A pretty good day

We went to playgroup today. It was the first time in a while. There is a little playground saga trend with me that I won't get into. Things were okay today though and the girls definitely had fun. Even though it was hotter than you know what today's playgroup was outside. I came as armed as I could be with bathing suits, swim diapers and a change of clothes for everyone. (It truly is a miracle I ever get out the door.)

But it all worked out well. They sprinklers were going and there was a great water table. Abigail was playing with the big kids and it was just too cute. Yes, everything went in her mouth (unlike with the older ones) but she had a bucket and was scooping water out and the whole nine yards. Madelyn managed to soak every outfit of hers I brought---every time I changed her into dry clothes that water table was like honey to bees and she was there getting wet all over again. Whatever it was so hot she dried out by the time we got to the car.

The saddest part of Madelyn's day was next when we had to return Sleeping Beauty. We checked it out at the library and she loved it. I think she watched it 3 times. She is on this "princess" kick lately and the Disney Princesses are top notch. (Elmo is slipping in his ranks though Abby is taking to the little red guy so he is certainly not out of the picture.) But the Disney princesses are in with Madelyn now. I guess I better get on Ebay and start buying the various movies that are locked in the Disney vault but are available through the miracle of Ebay. Hi ho, hi ho, off to big I go.

I was starting to wonder about Abby. She had not been signing 'more' for us. I was wondering if it was just Nana's magic on the Dallas trip. When I was asking her if she wanted more she'd just laugh and put her hands in her mouth. But today she was back to it. It really is so amazing those baby signs. One thing she did not want more of today though was napping. It's too bad because I really had a lot planned for their naptime. Oh well, I know have some housework to do when all I really want to do is just go to bed. Is it really only 8:30? Geez, I am really getting old.

The best part about today: Family dinner out....Kevin had a market research study that he came home a little early for so we went along and hung out at the Barnes and Noble and played with the trains and then had a fun dinner out.

Fun in Frisco

Our cousins in Texas sure showed us a great time. It was a little wild with four children age 2 and under but we did it. First of all, the girls were excellent travelers. They really hung in there even though we did not adhere completely to their normal schedules. I do think in the future we ought to buy a seat for Abigail though. More $$ but probably more sanity too. She is just too wiggly these days.

Before I get on to the trip summary I have some exciting developments in Abby's world. She made some leaps and bounds this weekend. She now signs "more" when she is eating. It's a gentle, dainty hands together but she is definitely doing it! I guess her motivation is getting her hands on more real food. It seems she is done with baby food. Now that we have given her more table foods that is all she wants and she wants a lot of it. On Saturday night she ate half a bowl of spaghetti (among other things) and cried when it was all gone. The other big news with her is she is crawling up steps. She started doing that at Aunt Kathy and Uncle Ken's house on Friday night. So she needs even more attention and safety measures. Gone are the days of relaxation. Madelyn walked after her 1st birthday but I would not be surprised if Abigail is walking before hers. We will see.

But back to the trip. My mom's sister (and most of their immediate family)live outside of Dallas in Frisco. It's a suburban area that is very up and coming. We were there 6 years ago for Mary and Joe's wedding. Since then the area has really grown and there are tons of businesses that were not there the last time we were there. Mary and Joe just moved to a new house that has a pool so their house was kind of the hub for us (I also stayed there with the girls.) It was great to go out for a dip during naptime. Plus the kids really loved the pool...and the attached spa. Here's us cousins (Mary with Tyler; Leslie with Grace) on the first afternoon, chillin' with the kiddies:

A great way to dry off after swimming is jumping on the trampoline. The 2-year-olds loved playing Ring Around the Rosey over and over and over again:

Besides the swimming and sleeping we spent a great deal of time eating also. Here is Tyler and Abigail snacking:
The line up: Tyler, Abigail, Madelyn and Grace

Tyler and Madelyn had a few moments where they did not get along so well but this was a great moment when they thoroughly enjoyed the bubble machine. Tyler's sweet golden retriever, Tiger, loved the bubbles also. She was chasing and popping them right along with the kids.

For lunch on Friday we went to this really cool place called GattiTown. It's a Chuck E. Cheese-like place with pizza, pasta, salad and games but the huge dining rooms show different movies (our room had Nemo) and the kids were beside themselves. Actually they all ate a pretty good lunch too. Especially Abby who was the first to start eating and the last to be at the table. The 2-year-olds had a great ride on the carousel after some initial trepidation.

Madelyn and Grace got along pretty well....it must have been the bow-wearing, babydoll-loving, princess-wannabe'ing thing they had in common.
They were having a nice little conversation over dinner.


For some reason Abigail always has to have something in her mouth. I am glad when it is a toy and not something dangerous or the pacifier. But it is funny she will just crawl along or play with something in her mouth.
This is one of my most favorite photos of Abigail:
Tyler was kind enough to take Madelyn for a spin on his wheels. First he had to take a call but then they were off.
It was just the cutest thing to see them circling around in that jeep. Madelyn just sat in the passenger's seat, sunglasses on, her hair blowing in the wind, as Tyler sped them around. Here's a video of the ride.

Due to naps and bedtime we spent the majority of the time hanging by the pool. Joe and Mary have a fully stocked fridge with all kinds of fun drinks and snacks. Despite the hot and humid Texas weather no one lacked drink or food.

Our last night we went a short 5 or so minutes away to visit Leslie and Brian's house. We were able to help Brian celebrate his birthday. Leslie made this amazing fishing-themed cake. It did taste as good as it looks! Happy Birthday Brian!

The kids were more than ready to dig in:

All in all it was a very nice time. We spent most of today catching up on laundry and sleep and getting back into our usual routines.

We're baaaack

We had a great time in Dallas but to say we are 100% exhausted does not even begin to describe how tired we are. I took some great photos so I'll charge up the camera tonight and update more tomorrow on the trip and all the fun and crazy times we had. I am just too tired to even type any more tonight.

Kevin also had great time and a very successful fishing trip. We were all SO happy to see him at the airport today.

The best part about today: Unpacking and settling back in after an action-packed weekend. Zzzzzzzz

Tag--you're it!

I was "tagged" by Kara a while back.

What were you doing 10 years ago? Graduating from college and getting ready to start my first real job in a public relations firm

What were you doing 1 year ago? Enormously pregnant (but still had 2 months to go) and chasing after my toddler

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Dark chocolate M&Ms
2. Chocolate chip or mint chocolate chip ice cream
3. French fries
4. Cheese and crackers
5. Veggies and dip

Five songs that you know all the lyrics:(This is a tough one from me because I sometimes think I know the lyrics of songs and I am so wrong.)
1. Pretty much any Madonna song
2. More kids songs then I'd like to admit (Old MacDonald, B-I-N-G-O, If You're Happy and You Know It, etc... )
3. All the songs from Grease (Grease and Grease 2!)
4. YMCA
5. I Could Not Ask for More by Edwin McCain (our wedding song)


Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Ensure there would be plenty of money in college funds for the kids and enough left over for their wedding funds
2. Buy (with cash) the perfect house in Bethesda
3. Make a large donation to several charities
4. Take a trip around the world
5. Buy the Volvo or BMW sport coupe


Five bad habits:
1. Bite and pick at my nails---blech!
2. Apologize too much
3. Waver in my decision-making and then second guess it
4. Get behind on the house cleaning
5. Stay up too late


Five things you like doing:
1. Hanging out with my family
2. Scrapbooking
3. Socializing
4. Traveling to new places
5. Going out to eat


Five things you would never wear again:
1. A bikini
2. A very short skirt
3. Shoulder pads
4. Anything tight (jeans, shirts, etc.)
5. Acid washed jeans


Five favorite toys:
1. Digital camera
2. My Ipod Shuffle
3. Tivo
4. Videocamera
5. Scrapbook/craft supplies


I’m gonna tag ~ YOU! Go for it....

On the road again, again

We're packing our bags yet again. The girls and I are off to Dallas with my mom tomorrow mroning to visit family. We are so excited and keeping our fingers crossed for smooth travels. We'll be back Sunday I am sure with some photos of all the crazy cousins running around and having a great time together. Eek! Three 2-year-olds together for 4 days? I am sure that will add up to a lot of trouble.

Kevin will be on the road also. He is going fishing with his dad and brother, Jeff. They are going to catch walleye on Lake Erie.

Lots of travel fun for the Nelsons.

The best part about today: We had a guy come give us an estimate to do some of the weeding we deperately need done in the yard...he was so inexpensive we are definitely going to book him. It will be so nice to have a jungle-free yard. :)

Wet and wild Tuesday

We had a spontaneous water playdate today. It was a classic Maryland hazy, hot and humid June day. I mean like sweat-dripping, feels like you just took a shower when you walk out the door kind of day. We were inspired at Target and bought a Nemo sprinkler. During naptime I organized the backyard for lots of water fun including the sprinkler and converted the boat-sandbox into a boat-pool. Wow, were the girls excited to see that! I invited a few neighborhood friends over, added some popsicles and wallah---water party!

Abby feeling enjoying the sprinkler. It's a pretty nifty sprinkler. I took a few spins through it myself. It whirls around in a circle flinging water all around and reaches pretty far. Amy and Pat's yard got a watering also. Abby had a small pool of water at her feet in the exersaucer which she seemed to really enjoy.

Ryan (21 months old) was cracking us up because he would literally leap into the air and flop down in the pool on his bottom. That had to hurt again and again and again. But Madelyn loved it and was so impressed with his flopping skills.
Abigail had a little friend also...she and Bo (11 months) really seem to hit it off.
Golf anyone? A small game of mini golf broke out. Though the $2.99 golf set did not stand up well to the bigger kids. The plastic handles on the golf "clubs" were flying more than the tiny plastic golf balls.
Then came a big rain storm (thunder and all) and the party wrapped up pretty quickly. Kevin still was not home yet so I gave the girls a bath by myself. That was a challenge. They are so slippery and Abigail was really not into the whole tub thing. Luckily it was quick and ended with everyone squeaky clean in time for Daddy's arrival.

The best part about today: We had a perfect blend of hanging out by ourselves and playing with friends.

Get up, stand up

We are back to being a no-napper with Abigail. She has learned to stand up in her crib and that is way more interesting than sleeping. She skipped her morning nap all together this morning. She'd stand up in her crib, I'd put her down, she'd cry. Times three. I finally gave up. I really do not care if she takes a morning nap---it'd be better as far as getting out to do things. And she is very pleasant without the nap so we are happy to oblige in the nap-skipping...morning nap only though. Afternoon naps are a must until age 5...ha, ha. She pulled the same stunt at afternoon naptime and again at bedtime. I guess eventually the novelty of crib standing will wear off. That is the funny thing about the second kid (and probably the third, fourth, etc.) is you forget if and when this happened with the first one but eventually it all works out.

Today the girls made a card for our neighbor Patrick who came home from Iraq. (Yay!) Madelyn was trying to get Abby to "sign it!" It was so funny seeing her try to teach Abby how to hold a crayon. Of course Abby just wanted to eat the crayon. Then she grabbed a fistful of the card and stuffed that in her mouth. Madelyn lost it. Poor Patrick had to get a card with a chew mark on it. (We had worked too hard to start over.) It probably even had a few graham crackers crumbs still on it. Maybe Hallmark should consider this "homeyness" in a future card line.

The best part about today: During my evening run/walk I purposely ran through the many sprinklers around the neighborhood---a perfect cool off for a very warm day.

Ode to the my dad & other greats like him

I hope you were as lucky as I was to have a great dad. Thankfully I have a great role model in him and a memory full of happy times. Yes, we had our moments when I was a teenager and I was testing the rules. (I got so busted being on the phone after 9:30pm on more than one occasion.) But when I think back to my childhood I have fond memories of spending quality time with my dad practicing softball, helping with homework and just chatting about life. I vividly recall a day when we were living on the farm in Wisconsin---so I must have been around 4 or 5 years old---we were talking about something deep...infinity or something like that and I remember saying something to the extent of gee, my dad sure knows everything. He humbly admitted he does not know everything but in my eyes he is about as close as they come. But my dad has always been pretty cool and I truly thank God for him (and my mom too!) Please let us not forget how cool my dad is that he took me to my first Madonna concert (Like a Virgin tour) in 1984....I was around 9 years old so that was a pretty major deal. Thanks, Dad, for being the most wonderful dad I could have asked for.

Now that I am a parent I can see how important the influence of a father is and I admire the way Kevin is being a father to our girls. I see a different side in him when he is with his little girls. And although he says sometimes he might like a "little buddy" the way he interacts with his daughters is priceless beyond words. Thanks, Kevin, I can't imagine playing this parenthood journey without you.

Kudos to Kevin's dad also because no doubt his example has helped guide Kevin in being such a great dad. Thank you for being a good role model for Kevin and for being a great father-in-law to me.

To all the dads out there I hope you had a chance to really enjoy this day because your job is no easy task. You deserve to be celebrated. Being a father, whether to daughters or sons, is a vital role that deeply influences what kind of person that child will grow up to be. But you are up to the challenge and doing your best is the only way to do it. Your children will love you for it.

Happy Father's Day!


The best part about today: Enjoying the Father's Day 5k race (a family tradition)

Happy Father's Day

Work it girls!

Today the girls did a little model shoot for my friend Melanie. She just got a new client, a swanky on-line children's boutique called Tiddley Widdley. She needed some 2T girl models and 6-12 month models. Two for one here as we have a 2T-wearing girl and a 6-12 month-wearing girl. They both were pretty cooperative for the camera but Madelyn was really working it! We had a couple neighbors/MOMS Club friends over also so Melanie could have a few models and Madelyn was trying to get in every shot. The company let the kids keep the clothes which was so amazing. Abigail actually wore an outfit that was gender neutral but maybe a little more boyish so we got to keep both of the outifts Madelyn modeled...Abigail will be wearing them herself someday anyway. So stay tuned to the Tiddley Widdley website for Melanie's website to see the America's next top toddler models.

Busy bees

Okay so we got back from Chicago on Thursday. Where has the time gone since then? I swear with kids time just flies. What have we been doing that has kept us just so busy? We certainly cannot be any busier than anyone else but it sure feels that way.

We got back a little later than planned on Thursday so Kevin wonderfully took the rest of the day off. We caught up on things---laundry, naps, grocery shopping. Thursday night I got back into my walking with the neighborhood gals. I really needed to walk off my delicious Giordano's pizza indulgence.

Yesterday the girls and I went to the mall with my mom. The girls were so good and patient while we shopped for some gifts. We went to the mall that has an indoor play area so they were rewarded with playtime. It was so cute to see them going down the slide holding hands.

Last night we went to a neighborhood happy hour which was great but might have been more fun without the children. How bad is that? It was totally child-friendly but I always find it hard to completely relax with the children awake and running about. Plus there is so much that happens during "happy hour" time in our house---dinner, baths, shenanigans---that it isn't always that happy around here. I think "rush hour" would be a better name for that time of day in a household with children. Happy hour can start at 8pm or whenever the munchkins get tucked into bed.

Oh and do I have some really good news!!! This is something to toast to.....my brother got the job so that means he and Kelly ARE moving here. I am so excited I can barely stand it. It looks like the move will not take place until later in August but yippee for them and for us! This is an amazing opportunity for my brother (U.S. Attorney's office) and I know Kelly will find something just as amazing for herself. They are in town this weekend for Jason's high school reunion. We have not seen them yet but they went out apartment hunting this afternoon.

Retirement wrap-up

We had a great time in Chicago! The girls were excellent travelers. We pulled them through the airports like luggage and they loved it. ;)

The retirement celebration was especially fun. We went to the school just before the teachers were dismissed for the summer. The principal announced that "Mrs. Nelson's whole family came" for the big day and everyone applauded her 31 years of service to the school system. We went out for a small family lunch afterward to celebrate some more. Both of Kevin's brothers and two of Kevin's aunts joined us.
Madelyn was happy to give her Glamma a helping hand with her gifts.....



After lunch we were lucky enough to make a visit to Jeff and Deb's fantastic new house that will be ready sometime in the fall. Isn't it gorgeous?
The other big exciting thing was seeing the cicadas. The 17-year ones have descended upon Chicago and we did our best to explore them. I was my usual skittish around them but tried to put put up a brave front for Madelyn. I mean really what did I think they would do to me (nothing!) but that is just that. Here's Madelyn getting up close and personal with her new winged friend.

Then after a little 36 hours we were back home again. The weary travelers were SO good on the go:

On the road again

This is going to have to be short because I have to get to bed and still have a few more things to do. Eeek, it is already almost 11:30. We are off to Chicago tomorrow for a whirlwind trip to celebrate Kevin's mom's last day at school. She is retiring this year so the family is gathering for a special lunch on Wednesday. It's kind of spontaneous. Our days of true travel spontaneity are over for a while but a week's notice is about as spontaneous as we get. We are excited about being there to celebrate this special milestone. Madelyn has not stopped talking about going on the airplane. She is probably right in there for the 2-year-old with the most frequent flier miles!

The best part about today: Date night! Kevin and I went out on a date tonight (no special reason.) It was sooo much fun. We went miniature golfing (it ended in a tie, how sweet) and then out for ice cream. The kids were great, we got out, our neighborhood babysitter earned a little extra $ for her upcoming mission trip. It was a win-win-win and we hope to do it again soon.

Splashing at the Sprayground

Arlington is really cool. Today we went to visit friends in Arlington and we went to their neighborhood park which has not only a very cool playground area but also a sprayground area. It is so neat and was just perfect for a warm June day! Our friends Naina and Josh live just a stone's throw from this amazing, half a million dollar super-duper park. Jason and Elizabeth and their 18-month old daughter, Lauren, met us there for a splish-splashin' good time...plus sandwiches from the Italian Store.

Madelyn was a bit uncertain at first what with all the water shooting up from the ground at random intervals. Plus there is a bucket that would dump water every once in a while. She was leery but really got a kick of the enjoying the Flashdance-style fun.

This unlikely suspect is about to the next bucket on the head victim

Getting into it with the other girls

Abby was all into it since the big kids were enjoying it

If you're happy and you know it....but still sticking to the outer circle

Madelyn, Abigail & Lauren---the hands in the mouth must be their secret club sign

It ended up being an off schedule day as far as naps go. The girls got a few zzz's on the short ride home and were completely wiped out with all the energy spent today. Sadly, our early departure from the Arlington area caused us to miss the "Meat off" grill event at Rob's. It would have been a super cook-off to end a super day. Rob was advertising his entry this year...the exclusive Paris Hilton Slammer burger. I would have been interested to see what's in that.
The best part about today: (Besides another WW loss this week) Running my feet through the sprinklers with Madelyn.

Frenetic Friday

We had a crazy day yesterday. First of all we had some utility issues. There was a water main break so many of our neighbors had icky water. Our water did not seem to be as discolored as some of our neighbors reported but we did not drink it anyway, just to be safe. Then just after we realized about the water main break the power went out! It was a little apocholyptic....no water and no electricity? Of course yesterday was a typical Maryland summer-like day---hazy, hot and humid and we had no a/c. So we abandoned ship and went to Nana and Pop's pool. By the time we got home everything seemed back to normal.

But in the mix of all that Abigail had her 9-month appointment. I was excited because she was weighing in at 9 oz/ more than Madelyn at 9-months. So I figured, whew, we are in the clear and will not have to worry about her weight. WRONG! She is also over an inch taller than Madelyn was at this age AND has gone down on her percentiles every visit. So now she is in the 25th percentile (like Madelyn was and is) but she started out in the 75th percentile. You other parents will understand this mumbo-jumbo a bit better.

The pediatrician recommended we give her more table food (which she likes so we all think that is great). But what I do not understand is it seems like she wants us to give her more table food than breastmilk/formula. I thought the breastmilk/formula had more calories than the table food? She has been right by us all along so I will follow her instruction and hope this little girl is just getting into her goorve in the 25th percentile for weight. (She is in the 90th percentile for height---who would guess I would have two little supermodels?)

Abby could not be happier with her new foods and of course that is the direction we are going---all table foods by 1 year. It just takes forever and a day to feed her and of course it is a lot messier. Fingers crossed this is what we need.

The pediatrician did say there is some thing with blonde hair, blue-eyed babies that do not gain weight well but she is going to see her again in 6 weeks before she orders any bloodwork for whatever that may be. I was honestly too freaked out to even know what that was so I did not ask so it does not seem to pertain to us yet.

I am going with she is just leveling off and will be much like her sister which is fine. She is developmentally a-ok so that is all good.

Kids! They are always a worry. Surely I would worry if she was overweight. I guess in parenting you just cannot win.

All in a day's work

What a majorly long day! The Bath Fitter man finally finished the bathroom but not until almost 6:30pm(it looks great---I'll have to post before and after photos). Yikes. Of course because of all the noise the two little girls did not take very good naps so lots of grouchiness around here today. Oh well. We did have some fun. Madelyn got to paint. We don't often bring out the paints because lil' miss grabby hands would be all into that.

But I do have major Abigail news! She is pulling up now. Lower things are better like my knee or Madelyn's pink chair. She is just so proud of herself. She also does this thing where she gets so excited (like someone is chasing her to tickle her) and flops on her tummy. If she could turn and run the other direction she would. Not only that but she is also doing a very basic wave that is just too adorable. She holds her arm out and kind of crunches her fingers. I think it is a preliminary wave. She has her 9-month appointment tomorrow so we will see how she's doing with weight, height, etc. I am going to guess she is pretty close to Madelyn's 9-month stats.

The best part about today: Seeing Abigail's "wave" and playing Candyland with Madelyn. (I use the term playing Candyland very loosely--it was her first time playing! We were really pulling out all the stops today I tell you.)

We went to the zoo, zoo, zoo...

We made it to the zoo today! It was a lot of fun though it was a fast and furious visit. Maybe a few minutes too long since as we walked out I had two sad (and crying!) little girls. We got lots of sympathetic looks. The tram was not running today so we had to walk which actually was fine with me. But like I said, sympathetic looks. There was a very big turnout from the neighborhood playgroup---eight mommies, some with two or three kids. Would have made a cute photo but it was waaaay too chaotic for that. We were a big group so it was hard to stay together but we did get to talk to everyone for a few minutes. Madelyn accurately accounted for all her "friends" that were there today and gave Kevin the full report of the favorite animals we saw. It's good to be a member because going to the zoo for 65 minutes would hardly have been worth it. It was the most perfect day though so good to get out there and enjoy it.

Tomorrow we will be in all day because the bathroom is getting its makeover. How exciting!!

The best part about today: Learning the differences between cheetahs and leopards.

Shoveling snow

Today was one of those days when the only time we went into the car was to get the stroller in and out. It was great. Though we had a nice time just hanging around home base---walking around the neighborhood, playing in the backyard, lunch on our picnic table, NAPS, carousing with neighborhood friends---I did think of another advantage of going out of the house. Less picking up. Two kids can sure create a mess! There is a quote I once read that is 100% true....cleaning your house when the kids are awake is like shoveling the snow while it is still snowing. I can say the "snow" has stopped for today but will surely start again tomorrow morning around 7 a.m. so I better get my rest. We plan to go to the zoo tomorrow so hopefully we will all get a good night's sleep.

The best part about today: Just being able to relax at home and catch up on household things like laundry, etc.

Lots of "me" time

It's a funny thing about having kids that really only one person can have a productive weekend. You can't get much done (even during nap time) so on the weekends when Kevin and I are both around only one of us can get anything done. This weekend it was my turn.

I had a majorly productive weekend. It was a lot of organization time that I desperately needed. Saturday I went to my WW meeting and am down a total of 11.6 since April 28. To celebrate I went out shopping for a few new things for myself. It was a major luxury to go to the mall without the stroller and the children. I could actually look at things and try things on before buying. I could get used to that. After naps we took the kids to our neighbor friend's 3rd birthday party. It was a pirate party and so cute! They had a pinata (that Madelyn was afraid of!), a treasure chest, eye patches, tattoos...so cute. Ahoy mateys! This is back at our house post-pirate party. Madelyn is saying "Aarrhhhh" with her pretend hook arm:

And Abby doing her party trick, though it looks like the YMCA:
Saturday continued with "me" time when I went out to a late dinner at PF Chang's with some friends. Lots of chatter and catching up...and of course yummy dinner and dessert.

After church on Sunday I whipped up a few recipes and put them away for dinners this week. I have to get using all that fresh produce before this week's shipment arrives. I also cleaned out and organized my closet. That is such a good feeling. Plus there are some items that I have not worn for a while that are all new again. It feels so great to have a clean closet.

We went over to my parents for homemade pizza and there was big excitement because there was a turtle swimming in their pool. It was so fun watching the lil' guy (or girl?). Madelyn was beside herself with excitement and continued to talk about the turtle long after he had moved along to the neighbor's pond. Fascinating stuff! A real science lesson.

So it's back to the grind Monday and we caught up on errands. A run to Target that was fun for everyone. We all love Target! Madelyn's big surprise for being good (she really was!) was a new box of Dora Band Aids. It was as if she had won the lottery. She was so happy. Of course by the time we got home she had at least 5 of them stuck to her legs. Ah well, (relatively) cheap thrills.

We all took a nap this afternoon and were ready t head out for a quick afternoon stop at the library. We got some books for the girls and some more potty videos for Madelyn. I also go some birthday party books for ideas for Abigail's party. I know it is still just slightly less than 3 months away but it feels like it is sooner. I really cannot believe she will be 1!

She is just so chatty these days. Just babble, babble, babble---lots of "mamamamamamamamamama" and "babababa". Sometimes she just opens and closes her mouth like she is talking but no sound comes out. It's just too cute. My heart just melts when they play together. And how happy they are to see each other when they get up. Madelyn is always trying to get Abigail to go into her room and sit on her bed. Abby loves the attention too. There is more wrestling though (Abby does not like that!)

We got caught in a major downpour on the way home from the library so that was interesting. I really need to look into getting Madelyn some rain boots. She really does want to jump in the puddles. I think that is fine with the right gear....and if I am not trying to get them both in the car as I am getting totally soaked. We looked like three sloppy wet dogs when we got home. I was impressed neither of them seemed the slightest bit effected by the thunder and lightning. I guess that is a learned fear. ? Amazing there is a fear I have not passed on to them....yet. :)

So here I am determined to go to bed early. Well even 5 minutes before 11 p.m. is still before 11 p.m.

The beast part about today: The girls slept in a little bit today so I had my shower, breakfast and time to myself this morning before we hit the ground running.

Three little monkeys

Sadly, our friends just left to continue on their journey. We had such a great time and as we thought the kids had a blast! The girls are (both!) fast asleep after all the fun. Hopefully their new boyfriend, Connor, is also asleep on his way to his next stop in VA.

Connor is just about 6 or 7 weeks older than Abigail so it was so fun to watch him and see what's to come. Here are the three little monkeys as the paparazzi (ie parents) snapped away at them:

Yes, Abigail really does have flawless skin.... :)

We decided to have dinner here last night so we made a meal that featured buffalo chicken wraps in honor of our love for buffalo wings. Ann and I spent many happy hours in search of the best wings in DC. Ann wrote a story about buffalo wings that is was published in The Washington Post and posted in at least one major restaurant. She really is an expert, a connoisseur, if ever there was one.

Meals with children are always a little interesting (a circus) but with three children 2 and under it had major potential for being really wild. On the contrary it was pretty mild. The messiest one was Abigail and she is usually a pretty neat eater. I mean her hair was greased with cereal and fruit and squash. She must have been showing off for her little friend.

My crazy idea I think was to give them all a bath at the same time....a triple tubby! Our bathroom is really small so having too many adults in there was a tough too but we needed all hand on deck. They are like little greased pigs when they are wet and soapy. We did okay and thankfully no one drowned---though there was a point where Madelyn was making me so nervous (she was just so excited to have company in the bathtub.) Madelyn has never had a bath with a little boy so her first question when Connor hopped in was "what's that?" Oh Lordy! The triple tub was a bath party for sure unlike any other. Here are the three bubs in the tub:

I thought it was hard having two kids of different sleep schedules but you throw in a third schedule and it was tough to get out today. Morning naps did not end until a little after 11 a.m. so by the time we got out of the house it was already noon....and Madelyn likes to go down for her nap at 1 p.m. We decided to take the kids over to my parents pool. It was Connor's first pool swim! The girls, as previously mentioned, LOVE to swim so it was like nap, schmap, we don't need no stinkin' nap...we're swimming. It is pretty hot and humid so the water felt great.

Hopefully we behaved ourselves and they will want to get together again soon!

The best part about today: Enjoying a relaxing morning visiting with my friend and playing with Madelyn on the swing set. Ann and Madelyn started a secret club with a secret handshake and everything!