Present and future of the blog

Oh this poor neglected blog. I have kind of lost the interest in posting and have been posting quick stuff on FB (so much easier with my iphone) so the future of this blog looks a little bleak right now. I may update occasionally. But with the girls in school more often I feel like I: 1. have less time with them to have funny stories (sniff!) and 2. should be enjoying every second of the time I do have with them. But all is very well with us. I had a new idea for a blog (inspired by watching Julie and Julia, though it has nothing to do with french cooking!!) I may start in January. We will see.

Back to MickeyLand

A few weeks ago Kevin was invited to speak in Orlando (quite near DisneyWorld) and initially we thought we would definitely tag along. But as we researched and thought about it it seemed like it might just be too much. But after speaking to one of my BFFs who lives there, on the eve of her birthday, I was inspired to make the trip. SWA was having a great deal, we got a super deal on the hotel and it all just started falling into place. This was Thursday night. We left on Tuesday. Yeah, we can still be spontaneous even with 2 kids. It was an awesome trip. The weather was fantastic and there was no pressure to see (and photograph!) it all since we had just been there in Feb. We saw Dana and her family, we took naps and went to bed early. It was enough to almost (finally!) kick our colds. It was good to hang with the Princesses and Fairies again so soon.

If I did this correctly, you should be able to click here to view our slideshow.

Halloween 2009

Halloween was interesting this year. We spent most of the day in DC celebrating woth my mom who received a major honor in the Catholic Church. She became a Lady of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre. It was VERY cool! She looks awesome in her cape.

But the girls made it back to trick-or-treat and wear their beloved costumes. In a rush to get out the door Abigail did not put on shoes (and we did not notice and she did not say anything) so the pink poodle went out in just her socks. I guess it was kind of eventful for Kevin though because somewhere along the line they also decided it was too hot to wear their costumes at all. Then it started to rain! He called me and I drove over to a neighbor's to pick them all up. How eventful. They had plenty of loot to boot.

Playground

Yesterday we went to one of the playgrounds that I tend to get very nervous with when it is very crowded. The two are never going in the same direction so I get so nervous. But it is a favorite and yesterday we had the place to ourselves just about. It was great! We met up with one MOPS friend, one of Abby's little buddies, and they had quite a blast and it was just to good to get out in the fresh fall air!

 

Day with A

The other day Abigail and I set off on a little adventure. She did not get a trip to the pumpkin patch this year like Madelyn did so we took an afternoon trip to a local petting farm/pumpkin patch/park. This place has some of the retired amusement park of local fame, The Enchanted Forest/ So we got to see all our favorite storybook/nursery rhyme characters too! It was such a pleasant afternoon for both of us. It had rained most of the morning and the days before so it was an extra special treat to wear our boots and jump in the mid puddles. The hayride was fun and feeding the bossy goats was an experience.She was majorly tired out though since she fell asleep on the way to get Madelyn and would not even wake up to go to ballet class (which she usually loves!) It was a great fall afternoon---we missed Madelyn---but enjoyed some QT together. It won't last forever--soon (maybe next year) she will be in school 5 days also.

"In" Keepers

This was really not the weekend we thought we would have had. We had so much planned (even more than usual) and canceled it all--parties, soccer, sunday school--due to illness. Kevin went to his doctor on Friday after still not feeling up to par and his diagnosis: swine flu! We did not know if the rest of us would get it or maybe it was what we have all been struggling with (despite my negative results last weekend?) Anyway.

So to be on the safe side, we took it as a way to have a LOW KEY family weekend at home. The kids are not acting really sick (read: wild as ever!) and do not have fevers but their eyes tell a different story. I am sure if we were out and about at our parties and what not, people would have wondered why we did not keep them home. They just had that droopy eye look. Madelyn is complaining of ear ache so we may have to make a trip to the pediatrician tomorrow. Oh the horror of that! But we will see.

Our weekend consisted of the usual things a family does when they are at home: sleeping, watching TV & movies, crafts, cooking and baking, painting, cleaning the house (lots of Lysol, baby!) and then making a mess of the house (clutter-wise), etc.

In the first two hours when we were done with all that (just kidding!) we were then kind of bored. I needed to make a run to store. I made the trip to the Supercenter so along with the groceries I also picked us up a Wii . Boredom solved, right? It seems like an extravagant thing as an impulse. It was not much of impulse. I was considering getting Kevin one for his b-day in a few weeks anyway. It did make a big difference in our weekend. We all had so much fun. I would say I am a much better bowler on-screen than in real life. I have never won a game before. It's not much to beat a 4-year-old and 3-year-old but it was definitely something to beat Kevin. He is a good bowler. Madelyn is actually quite good at Wii in general--bowling, tennis and the Toy Story game. I guess these video games are plenty interactive--I do hate to introduce a new vice.

Here we are on Sunday and none of us are any worse for the wear in fact, we are all pretty much better. We had quite a fun weekend staying in so maybe we should all get more sick more often. No thank you actually! But we have had almost enough of the fun of staying in so I do hope we will all be getting out this week.

New face of doctor visits

At the pediatrician's office today we all wore masks because we were in to be seen for cough-related illness. I am totally for this---I do not want to give our germs to anyone and I do not want to get anything new---but wearing a surgical mask really does make you feel like a leper. It was so awkward--and hard to breathe when you are already compromised. Abigail totally was not going for it so Madelyn and I tried them on too---and even put one on Mustard (Abby's favorite little stuffed dog). But it still was not going over well. We were in good company though--it seemed like every other patient on the sick side of the office was having the same struggle with their little patients.

Pumpkin Pie Playdough

Speaking of pumpkins.....we recently made a few batches of this pumpkin pie playdough. It was fun and smells so yummy.

5 1\2 Cups Flour
2 Cups Salt,
8 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
3\4 Cup Oil
1 Container (1 1\2 ounces) Pumpkin Pie Spice
Orange Food Coloring (2 parts yellow, 1 part red)
4 Cups Water

Mix all of the ingredients together. Cook and stir over medium heat until all lumps disappear. Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth.

What we did with our warm weather day

What is it about MD that our pumpkin farm days are always SO hot? It is so funny. Every year the same thing and today was no exception. It was unusually warm today--not exactly hayride weather. Well unfortunately I do not have any pumpkin farm photos because I did not go. But Madelyn did and she had a blast. (Some of our friends/neighbors did attend and I hope they will pass along some photos of all the fun.) She was so excited and seemed to have a great time. I certainly gave her the talk about being a good representative of our family, staying near her chaperone, etc. It is scary letting them out in to the world like that but you have to do it.

I was bummed not to be able to be a chaperone but Abigail and I were going to go with our MOPS group who had a trip planned for the same day, same time (what are the chances?) But Abby and I still are not feeling well and I knew riding on hay in the warm weather was the last thing we needed today. We did both see our docs---my cold is morphing into bronchitis and she has just the cold that will hopefully not turn into anything more. Madelyn is the only one in our family who is totally healthy (weird because she seems to be the one most exposed to germs.) We are just holding our breathe she is not next.

In an effort to feel a little better I took Oprah's (and other's) advice and bought a netti pot. Ok, that is one crazy thing but it sure does make the congestion feel better. If only I had something that I could do that with my lungs. I guess the antibiotics will take care of that. Just a note for anyone concerned about cold and flu---apparently using the netti pot daily can really combat contracting cold and flu. Good to know. It might just be our new thing. It is very weird though.

So it has been quite an unusual day. I hope we are on the real road to recovery now so we can all be well for the upcoming Halloween festivities.

Prima-oted Ballerina

M is skipping a dance grade. Ha! It sounds kind of funny but it is kind of true. It appears she will be in the kindergarten class even though she is not in kindergarten. It is funny because we had opted to keep her in the same class (preschool) as she was in last year so she would be with the girls her own grade level from here on out. But she was not doing well in that class despite the fact she has friends in that class also. Apparently she was bossy---telling the younger girls what to do. The teacher reported she was distracted and distracting at times. Most important she did not want to go. We saw it as an opportunity to maybe try something else (this is actually her 3rd year of dancing; that sounds crazy). The teacher said even though she was not doing all the 4-year-old class moves to perfection we should try the kindergarten class that many of the girls from last year are in. M was thrilled to death. After two classes the teacher reports she has done more in the two classes than all summer and thus far in the other class. Well I guess we have our answer. Though it does still sound funny to have skipped a grade in ballet and tap. But hey, whatever makes her happy. It is nice to have a day of break to have A's ballet class (which she absolutely loves!) on Wednesday and M's ballet and tap on Friday.

We will be settled in to our schedule one of these days......

Notes from the couch

We survived our week without Daddy and had some fun with family and friends. M & A spent the night at my parents' one night which gave me a break and allowed me to attend a MOPS MNO to learn how to make sushi! I am not a big sushi fan personally (Kevin is) but it was so much cool. If my iphone and computer were getting along I could post a photo of my very first California roll I made. Very fancy looking. My friend who taught us was amazing! Later that night I also stopped in to the neighborhood women's group. It was nice to connect with the neighborhood ladies. It has been a long time since I had two events on one night, much less a "school night." Next year will not be so easy but that is an advantage of afternoon preschool.

Another highlight of the week was dinner at CFA with friends. Always a fun treat when we are on our own. Playtime and dinnertime in one. They were so exhausted on the way home it made for an easy bedtime. What can be better? M was so tired she actually requested to go straight to bed without reading any books. That is very unusual.

Yesterday afternoon there was no school for M. It was picture day for A so she went to school. At first I was worried she would not want to go since M was home but not the case--she could not wait to get in there! Too cute. She was all excited to wear her "picture day" dress also. In fact when she put it on in the am they both swooned. I meant to take a photo of them myself (M was dressed up as well) but forgot. We got a little sidetracked by making cutout cookies in the a.m.--there was flour everywhere and yet that get-out-the-door-for-school rush came quickly as it does every day. So hopefully the school photos will turn out. Apparently the pose was them sitting at a desk. So funny since they never sit at desks in preschool. But it should make for a great shot.

After we dropped her off, M and I met my mom to check out a tea room for Madelyn's birthday. She has been talking about a tea party almost since her last b-day. Her b-day is still a bit off but when I called for info. they were already booking up the holiday season. We had planned to try it out (would she like real tea and scones?...could be party disaster if not.) They were booked so we could not partake but we peeked and it it pretty. Probably too pretty for a room of 5-year-olds. But we will still go there maybe just when the grownups outnumber the kids. Anyway we opted for lunch for us and a brownie for her at another coffee shop and then a visit to the toy store. It was a good afternoon.

Then the rush was on. Pick up A, get M ready for dance class, drop off a meal to a new mom and get to dance class. It was rushed, esp. with the horrible weather and traffic but we ran ourselves around well.

We brought M's buddy home with us for dinner so that was a real treat for them. I was surprised how much they enjoyed the butternut squash ravioli. Score!

With all the excitement of the day it did not end so well (people were tired) but it ended and that left me time to clean up the house which looked like a tornado had passed through. It is so tough to find a balance between letting the kids clean up and doing it right yourself after they are asleep.

They are so sweet when they are asleep. I totally could watch them for hours. I should take a photo and then remind myself during the day when they are not so sweet.

K arrived home around 11, just in time for me to feel a little twinge of getting sick. I thought it could be the cleaning products stuck in my lungs. Not so it seems. Hopefully it is short lived and mild. I have been getting caught up in the H1N1 hype. Scared of its potential. To be honest I did pray a little bit just to get a minor case (we do know people who have/had it) so we would not have to worry about getting the vaccine or not getting the vaccine. Sometimes you have to watch what you pray for. I hope we will all be okay. It is a very good day to sit on the couch under a blanket.

Here we are

The problem with writing the blog at night is I can hardly remember what the heck was so funny that happened during the day! I really need to petition the iphone people to link to Blogger as Facebook does. It would be so much easier...and dare I say more interesting. Because my days are funny...sometimes.

We are coming off a long weekend with Daddy: off Friday and Monday and total Daddy time over the weekend when Mommy was at conference getting a spiritual boost. He is off to Miami tonight on a work trip and his girls are sad. But we will be okay. We have a lot planned.

So what's going on around here?

Well Madelyn is still loving school and seems to be pretty good at it. I had the chance to volunteer in her classroom yesterday so I got a little sneak peek at what goes on there. She appears a little different in the classroom than I see her at home but it is good; she appears to be a pleaser. Their routine and her classmates are all pretty cute. My "work" basically amounted to lots of cutting in preparing for upcoming projects: squirrel poem, scarecrow making, etc. My hand was literally numb. But it was good and I was happy to help---I brought some home so Kevin could get in on the action!

Abigail is a character as usual and enjoying school also. She was most recently quite proud of a bus she made and the wheels on it that go 'round and 'round. I swear she is Jekyll and Hyde...she can be as happy (and totally hysterical!) one second and totally frustrated and a bundle of tears the next. Welcome to Age 3. I need more patience for this--wish I could pick some of that up at Target.

I should get more sleep.

Bike Ride

We had nice Sunday Family Day. I had been at a conference for much of the weekend but Sunday was all ours. We played board games and then took a bike ride in the park. Perfect day and perfect setting. Depends on who you ask whether the bike ride was perfect. HA! With two kids in tow quite literally I would describe it as a solid 5, though I wanted it to be a 10. Others (all others) would probably rate it as a 9-10.

This was the set-up: Madelyn rode the bike attachment thingy (a back wheel and pedals and handlebars that attaches to an adult bike.) That was something to look at from behind. She has not been on a bike sans training wheels yet so she was flopping back and forth as they pedaled. She was attached so she could not fall but it was kind of funny to watch. It might be good for transition.

Abby was in a bike seat on the back of my bike and it was mostly fine until she started falling asleep. She was all slumped forward and I needed to get off the bike for a second. Since I had Kevin's bike, which is higher, I struggled to dismount and my shoe caught the side of the bike which sent poor, sleeping Abby falling to the ground. I caught her but she was upside down and very uncertain to open her eyes to things upside down. I propped the bike back up and she was back to being asleep and slumped over.

As Kevin and Madelyn came back to where we were I was laughing and crying. It must have been a little bit of a scene because a fellow biker came over to see if we were okay. Tears were streaming down my face (mostly laughing at the whole thing) but we gave that guy a little bit of a scare.

It was a nice day though and, while it may have been "scary" at times, it was good. Maybe we will just have to try it again to see if we can make it a "10" for all.

Beltway Baby

I still cannot believe this one. One of my MOPS friends had her baby in the car on the way to the hospital yesterday morning! It was all over the local news. As someone who had to be induced and basically evict the little bundles, I cannot imagine childbirth going so quickly. What an amazing birth story. Check this out. Even more funny is she is a labor and delivery nurse---though her husband isn't! All are very well. What a wonderful blessing!

Future Firefighter?

Apparently this week is Fire Safety Week so Madelyn's class kicked the week off with a visit to our local firehouse. Abigail was in school so I went along as a chaperone. It was a great tour and the children hopefully absorbed a few things about fire safety. The big hot was sitting in the fire truck. Madelyn also reported she liked to see the firefighter's kitchen. All lots of fun.

Also we were surprised to learn that since we learned fire safety many years ago they have added something to all important "stop, drop and roll"---it's now stop, drop, cover and roll.

Here is our future firefighter, if the boots and hat fit....

Festival fun

It was quite a bummer to have to get up and catch our flight so early this morning but it was nice to pretty much have the whole day to get settled back in. We made it to our parish's fall festival where the girls took part in some fun including instant bingo, duck pond game, cake walk and each a special treat: Abigail, the inflatable up obstacle course/slide thing and Madelyn, a pony ride (see below). We ended the weekend as we often do with Sunday night dinner with my family. Seriously, a great weekend.

Windy City Wedding

We had a super duper weekend in Chicago for Dave and Catherine's wedding. It was nice to be with family--we had such a blast. The day itself was kind of a bummer weatherwise (rainy, chilly) but everything else was perfect. The reception was at the Adler Planetarium which offered us cocktails in the observation room and dinner/dancing with a gorgeous view of Lake Michigan and the gorgeous Chicago skyline. I love weddings but our little girl Madelyn loves weddings even more. Thrilled to death to be the flowergirl (or "wedding girl" as she called it) she did well with her job and looked totally darling all gussied up. The photographer took some family photos* that we are eager to get but below is a link to some snapshot we took. So this is a little look at the wedding festivities mainly from this little flower girl's perspective. (Click the photo below to see the whole album.)

*We really missed Abigail and it seemed so strange to be without her (though it was a lot easier!) But she was quite pleased with all the fun she had; talking to my parents it seemed like the feeling was quite mutual.

Everyone is happy

We are getting ready for a big weekend in Chicago. We will be attending a family wedding (Kevin's cousin) and Madelyn is one of the flower girls. So she is big on telling everyone about that. Abigail is quick to chime in she also has a big weekend planned: staying at Nana and Pop's house all by herself. Today when we were picking up our CSA produce the girls were giving a woman the ear full about our weekend plans. The woman said, "oh be sure to bring photos to show me next week..." Madelyn smiled but it was Abigail who responded, "oh I will!" Since I felt a little bad about taking just Madelyn for the weekend that makes me so happy to know Abigail is equally (if not more!) excited. I have a feeling both girls will be basking in the glow of alone time with their grandparents. (Madelyn will get quite a bit of quality grandparent time too while in Chicago!)

Abigail goes mute

Well I guess we know how to get Abby to be quiet: take her to the pediatrician. That girl would not say a word for her doctor. How unusual for her to be speechless. All part of the check-up is the "show off" time when she is supposed to do her tricks: sing ABCs, stuff like that. But nothing came out but a few teeny tiny whispers. Humph. Of course when the nurse came back in to give them their FluMists, she could not stop singing. I hope the nurse will put that in the chart. Just another example of the hard and fast rule: kids are not show ponies. The rest of the check up---and the day for that matter---was perfect. I felt a little bit like Supermom what with the walking to and from school, homeschool-like activities with Abigail, playground time, science experiments (thanks CFA!) It was a good day.

School skipper

Madelyn had the day off of school yesterday. Abigail did not have the day off and we were going to take her to preschool but..... we decided to let her skip school and go to the movies with us! Oh the first day of skipping school. This is where it all begins. We had a great time though and went with a few friends to Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Madelyn has been dying to see it since she saw the ad this summer. It was a hit for the kids and the grown-ups. Let's hope the school skipping will not become trend. Ha, ha.

Sailing with Pride

On Sunday afternoon Kevin, Jason, Kelly and I sailed on the Pride of Baltimore II. It was a cool experience with a little bit of history, a breezy ride, a few moments of hands-on participation and a few raindrops. It was especially neat to see the place where my dad and Jason spent a week crossing the Irish Sea (yikes!) on one of the Pride's world tours. Really cool.

Sleeping Beauty

I am not trying to make fun of our little girl here but seriously how can this be comfortable?


The crazy thing is this is not an uncommon way for her to finally fall asleep. She has some real sleep issues. Actually one night this week she absolutely insisted on sleeping on the (wood) floor. In fact when we moved her into her bed after she had fallen asleep she woke up shortly thereafter, crying, and got back on the floor.

Homework

I know the time will come in the not-so-distant future when homework will be a real drag. But when it is your first time receiving homework it is pretty exciting! Though she wanted to complete the assignment the minute she received it last week, they were given a few weeks so we took some time with it. The assignment was to make a pennant decorated with stuff "all about me." We completed it last night with the help of my scrapbooking materials, magazines, photos and her own drawings. It was fun to see all the things she wanted to include. I can see how parents get involved in doing their kids' assignments though......but I think I kept it pretty hands-0ff. We don't want it to look like Mommy and Daddy did the whole thing---and I certainly do not want her to say "My Mom did that!" when she presents it to the class. This is just one of many times I wish I could be a fly on the wall of her classroom. I am sure it would be quite interesting to see them all in action.

What's in an A?

Here's a hot financial tip: take out stock in the Magic Eraser. It seems to be our friend this week. We have a letter writing bandit in the house. She's like Zorro just quickly and deftly leaving her mark. It only takes a minute (as I found out the hard way) to have several places in the house branded with a permanent marker. This week we it was blue but previously it was red. The Scarlet Letter. Grrrrr. And really if you are going to do something so naughty as this you may want to learn your sister's letter...it would be a lot easier to pull off as "I did not do it." But we know exactly who did it and we have A's all over the house to prove it. The Magic Eraser did help with the hard surfaces (wall and table) but the couch is ruined (I have been thinking about getting a new one sometime soon anyway). Thank heavens for flipping cushions because we will get through for now. Note to self: never leave a girl who is very excited about writing her name alone, not even more than a second.

The markers are now well out of reach.

Catching up

I've been enjoying a little blog-vacation as we adjust to our new schedule. We are now very proudly two weeks or so into our new routine and we love it! It is great to have our mornings free. With bus stop pick-up at 12:10 we do not have much time to squeeze too much in so---miracle!---we don't try to. Sometimes we stay home all morning to play and even stay in our pjs until 10. This is all very new to us and we love it. The afternoons are kind of organized chaos. The rush to the bus stop if often a little frenzied. On Mondays and Fridays the frenzy continues a bit as I get Abigail down to her school but by 12:45 or so when I am back home or out doing whatever I am going to do, it is amazing the calm. It feels almost luxurious.

With school in full swing the activities are also under way. Both girls are taking dance. It's old hat for Madelyn but Abigail is pretty darn excited to be dancing. Like the summer session, the class started as mommy and me so I got to dance too! In yesterday's class the girls went in by themselves and reportedly did quite well. So I guess the dance cord has been cut. She is already talking about the stage, ie. recital, in May.

Madelyn has taken on a new activity this year: soccer. Kevin is an assistant coach so that is fun for all. We saw a new side of Madelyn last weekend at the first game/practice. She is competitive. This will be really good for her to learn to be a team player. There were tears, especially when she did not get the ball. But then minutes later when she did get the ball, and score a goal!, it was all smiles. It may be a bit of a roller coaster ride but it will be a fun fall being a soccer mom. The really funny thing is her team is orange--the very team color Kevin and I had when we first met playing soccer. How appropriate.

Last weekend we were busy with dogsitting Jason and Kelly's dog, Rockne. The girls totally want a dog now. While we are not considering it at this time, the girls were quite helpful and we had a great weekend. It sure helped that Rockne is expertly trained. He is a really good dog and on very predictable schedule. Abigail was especially fond of Rockne. It was cute how she was always talking to him like a baby. He was a good sport. I seriously thought she might try to dress him up and make him come to a tea party by the end of the weekend.

The last thing we added in to the schedule was this week, MOPS. I feel like I have been thinking and preparing for the first day all summer (in many ways I have!) It's been a lot of work. Going to MOPS on Tuesday reminded me of our wedding day. All the planning and preparing. Two of my co-duties were assigning people to tables and making centerpieces. As I looked around the room and saw everyone talking and seeming to be having a good time it felt like it was all coming together. This every other Tuesday event does mix it up in our schedule. It's our one full morning not free and a loooong day for Madelyn! (She actually told my mom, who is serving as a Mentor Mom in our group this year, "Sorry Nana, I cannot play today---I have a very busy day!" It's true.) But I think it will be a good year. They received a new CD with the music they will be singing and that has been a HUGE hit. The MOPPETS theme is fruits of the spirit and so far seems really amazing. I cannot wait until they get to the lessons on self-control. :)

We are surely off to a great start of a "new year."

Abigail's First Day of Preschool

So today was the big day for Abigail....her first official day of preschool! She was really excited (see below). All day long she talked about her teacher Miss Caitlin ("she has curly hair like me" <> with a big grin.) It was a bit of a whirlwind to get Madelyn on the bus and head on down to Abby's school (same for pick up). But it was all good! Even better for Kevin and I who had a mid-day date. That was really nice. A leisurely lunch of lobster grilled cheese for me and french dip for him and did some shopping. So indulgent--the meal and the afternoon to ourselves.

But Abigail seemed to do quite well, and more importantly, had fun. The big news was no accidents, in fact, there was a reported three trip to the rest room all by herself. Yahoo! Let's hope next week and the next and the next in the "Heart room" is as stellar as today.

9/11

Like so many people this date September 11th is etched in our brains forever. We cannot forget. So sad. While I was busy today with our first day of double preschool, Kevin's return home and a potential trip to the beach, I could not help but think of this day 8 years ago. Thoughts and prayers.

Our long day

Ok then. We are a tired band of people. First you have Kevin who flew in from Chicago last night and then back through Chicago this morning on a flight that departed at 6 a.m. for a work trip. He'll be back Friday morning.

Then you have me who could not go back to sleep after he left and decided to bake banana bread and prepare some of the produce that would soon be going bad in our refrig that froze mysteriously over the weekend (eggs and everything---weird!) I was just enjoying the silence of the really early morning.

Then you have Madelyn who has really been rocked by this school thing. One moment she is so great (out of the blue: "oh, oh I remember rule number 4......" "If I stay on the green tomorrow I get to visit the prize box!" So little tidbits of her day are trickling out slowly but mostly I am getting a lot of we did nothing or I can't remember. It starts so early. There was a little trepidation getting on the bus which of course left me feeling like I wanted to follow the bus and/or call the school. Such a flip from yesterday.

Then there is Miss Abigail who doesn't seem to need much sleep anyway so she is pretty much normal. Though she did take a nap every day I believe over the weekend so clearly she can take and still needs a nap. But we had fun today playing and going to the grocery store. Though I was over ambitious taking the car cart and doing self-checkout. What can I say I was feeling light. She had her first day of ballet today and was soooo excited. She is already talking about the recital, which will be in May! Yikes. It starts off as a mommy and me class so I was there to witness how little miss bossy she can be--telling people to go here and there. That can't last long.

The other major note of today is I finally made the call about Abigail's preschool. I decided enough obsessing, it's just preschool after all, and I chose what I thought is best for me/our schedule. I am sad they will not have the same preschool experience but I think we will all be saner for it. Plus the potty training is still iffy at best. Grrr. With that not looming honestly I feel so much better and I think in turn so will she. We'll eventually get it!

First Day of School, part 3

I think this was officially the last "first day of school" for Madelyn. Today was the full, half-day AND the bus ride. She was beyond excited with taking the bus. It totally cracked us up because once she was on all you could see were her eyes and bow. It surprised me how mixed I felt as the bus drove off. I kind of wanted to cry but I was also kind of excited. (Particularly since Abigail was still in Chicago and I had a completely free afternoon to myself in which I got a manicure and did some shopping.)


The day at school seemed like all went well. We made a little mistake in the car pool line picking up...she went over to where I had met her last week and she was supposed to stay with the group. But she was not in any danger. I did create a faux pas when I got out of my car....but it was all fine. We are learning! It seemed like a really great first real day. Good thing is we get to do it all again tomorrow and the next day and the next.

Whirlwind weekend

We were in Chicago this weekend...and South Bend. It was a whirlwind weekend for sure but we had so much fun. On Saturday Kevin, Uncle Jeff, Madelyn and I went to the Notre Dame/Nevada game. Big win for the Irish! It was Madelyn's first game. We did all the usual highlights: visit the grotto/light a candle, watch the band parade through campus to the game, ate a hot dog from one of the dorm-concessions, up-in-the-air push-ups for the number of points (Madelyn did 35!), Mass after the game....it was all great. I will say Madelyn did doze off a bit. like to call that the $70 nap. It seemed really odd not to have Abigail with us and the photo of us in front of the Dome seems to exemplify it. But she had a really fun and exciting day back in Chicago with Glamma and Grandpa that apparently included a English/Polish storytime, visiting with more fun family members for lunch and Rainbow Cone (legendary ice cream). It was a good day for all.






On Sunday we went to Kiddieland in Chicago. It is Chicago legend and has been for 80 years. However, at the end of the month they are closing for good. It was good we got to go one last time. I think Glamma and Grandpa had find memories of going there as children, I know Kevin did and now hopefully the girls will too. They had a blast and got to meet Dora, what a bonus!

Madelyn and I cut the weekend a little short in anticipation of her first day of school (part 3). It felt very odd traveling with just one child, incomplete, like I forgot the other two family members. I did not like that feeling much at all. But Kevin and Abigail just arrived home so all is back to normal....until tomorrow when Kevin is on a business trip for the rest of the week. Craziness continues.

New beginnings

Today was such an exciting day. We started the morning at one of Abigail's school choices. She attended the same room this summer but today was an opportunity to meet her new teacher, Miss Caitlin. She is adorable! Abigail was very impressed. I have to admit I did not take photos. Mainly she was so uninterested at first in going that I did not want to add another level. But you can bet I will have my camera out on her first day next week. It was a great intro. She is psyched!

Then back home to have a quick lunch and then on to the first day of Madelyn's pre-k, part 1. She was pretty darn excited. As we went out the door she hugged and kissed Abigail and waved a fond farewell to her and Nana. Very excited to be wearing her new backpack, which is definitely as big as she is (despite it's junior size status.)

We were running just a few mins. late (due to the long goodbye and the photos--ooops!) so when we got her stuff in her locker and got into the classroom, Mrs. Elliott was just getting started. Madelyn sat in the waaaay back and looked nervous. Mrs. Elliott spoke to them and asked them questions. Now mind you we already know half of the class from the neighborhood so it is not like these were strangers. Many of our friends/neighbors were very talkative. But I noticed a distinct difference in her.

The teacher asked all the children what they did over the summer. Some were eager, others were not. Madelyn (suprisingly) was one of the not. But it was so funny her response. I am not sure I can paint the picture with my words but I will try. When Mrs. Elliott asked her what she did this summer, Madelyn raised up both arms, outstretched them and rolled down to the floor, as if she were literally melting. Talk about a wilting flower! It was cute though and most unlike how I see her. I can totally appreciate the apprehension though and getting to know one's surroundings before showing one's true self.

Mrs. Elliott had a great first lesson surrounded by that terrific first day of school book, The Kissing Hand. So sweet. We all left with little red hearts in our hands.

As we left it was as if a light turned on and Madelyn could not stop sharing details with Mrs. Elliott.....a glimpse of the girl we know. So funny! She is going to be just fine. No, better than fine. She is going to be magnificent.

This is going to be a terrific year for Madelyn. We are off to a great start! We cut the cord tomorrow...no grown-ups tomorrow and from here on out.

Check out that locker!

So much for criss-cross applesauce...

Kissing Hand artwork

Lovin' the locker

With Noah, these two have known each other since they were 10 months old (now look at them!)

P.S. It looks like they are wearing hospital bracelets but they are not of course. It says something like we read The Kissing Hand today, ask me about it......

The big snip

For about a year I have been growing my hair out in order to donate it. I have been wanting to do this for even longer but in the last year I finally made the committment. It is a bucket list kind of thing. Anyway, today was the day of the big cut. My longest piece was the 10 inches needed for Locks of Love, however, Pantene Beautiful Lengths requires only 8 inches so I will be donating to that in order to provide a more substanial amount of hair. So I have a whole new look.....

Before:






During:




After: