If you don't smile, you are on CRACK...

All because of a new pair of pajamas!! Oh, to be young again...

Just for fun from last month...check out her moves and the hottie in the sweater... ;)

Hugs

Alyssa loves Hannah so much that she just can't stop hugging her...even when she is sleeping!!! I thought for sure it would wake her up, but Hannah kept right on sleeping! Such sweet sisters!!

Am I nuts or what??

So, as if I don't have enough on my plate, I have decided to become an Uppercase Living demonstrator. What's one more thing, right?!?!? I came across the company looking for ideas to decorate our new house and thought it was such a cool product that I had to share it! It is not in stores and you can only order it through a demonstrator or through their website. I don't really plan on hosting the parties unless I know someone who is really interested and asks about it, but figured it can't hurt to tell friends and family!!

I have already ordered some stuff and I am afraid I am becoming addicted! Check it out! If you are interested in anything let me know!!

http://jennbender.uppercaseliving.net/

Chicken BBQ

Dan's family has a farm in Medina that is been in the family for over 100 years! It is the actual house his grandma grew up in! Every year they do a Chicken BBQ, which is kind of like a family reunion of sorts. We haven't been able to go since the girls were born, but decided to make the trip this year. We went today and even though it rained the ENTIRE time (and Dan and I were both sick), the girls had a lot of fun. Here are some pictures that I caught while they chased chickens and explored the farm!

Aly and Aidan with Grandma...

Looking at the old tractors...Hannah was mean muggin' me for taking her picture!

Maybe Aidan will be a farmer when he grows up...

You just can't reason with a chicken...

When all else fails, chase it!!

The Heart of God...

Yesterday when I picked Aly up from pre-school I could tell something was up. She was just not acting like her normal, happy self. I tried to talk to her but she didn't want to. In the car she wanted her 'me' and her milk, but I didn't have either...she started to cry. She has never done that when I have picked her up before. Then, she wanted chicken nuggets and french fries. I told her no because it wasn't on the way (if I could do it again I would've gotten her some for sure) and again she started to cry. Then she wanted her snake - which was at home - so I told her we would swing by and get it on the way to grandma's.

I continued to try to talk to her about her day, but she just wouldn't share. She looked so incredibly sad...like she had lost her best friend! It was a different emotion than I had seen from her before...so grown up. I asked her if anything happened at school and she said 'Nothing'. I knew it had. After we got the snake, she still visibly upset. Her legs were all curled up in her car seat and she was laying her head on her hand [I can't even really describe just how sad she looked-it still breaks my heart to think about it]. I asked her again what was wrong and she was silent. Then, she broke down crying and said, "A girl pushed me". I told her I was sorry that that had happened and she said "Two girls pushed me". It sounds silly, but I have never seen her so crushed! All I could do was tell her how much I loved her and we talked about what she should do if that happens again.

The whole thing really taught me something about the heart of Jesus. I know the Bible teaches that Jesus 'feels our pain' and that 'His heart breaks with ours', but I never truly understood what that meant until this happened. My heart was truly broken watching her feel so sad. I would have literally done anything to take away the hurt that she was feeling, but the reality of it was no matter how much I loved her and wanted to fix it - I could not change it! And this was over something as trivial as a girl pushing her at pre-school!

It really made me think about how God must feel as he watches us go through so many hurtful things in our lives and how broken His heart must really be. Not only that, but how could he possibly send his own Son to die, and watch him suffer, for people who may never even understand what a gift that was?!?!?! I am so thankful we have a God who loves us that unconditionally, even though we have done nothing to deserve it!! [That is exactly how it is with our kids...they do nothing to merit love we have for them and yet that love is uncontrollable...whether they realize it or not] And it reminded me how important it is going to be to make sure Aly and Hannah know these things and teach them to find their confidence in the Lord!

Talk about pressure...

You know, sometimes I think God allows us to be parents just so we can become more like him. There are somethings you can not possibly understand about God until you have a child(ren) of your own. At the same time, having a relationship with Jesus has made me a better wife, mother, teacher and person!!

Sorry if I am rambling, but I had to share...

Happy 18 Months!

My baby is not a baby anymore...

I am not really sure how much she weighs or how tall she is since Dan took her to her doctor's appointment, but she is getting to be such a big girl - and has as much...if not more...hair as Aly has now!!! She loves to play outside and watch 'Cailou' or 'Blue's Clues' (which she calls "Bow, Bow"). She loves to play in their playroom on her own and absolutely loves baby dolls. There is one that is 'hers' and she carries it around all the time kissing it! She is so silly and loves Aly beyond belief...in fact we were all sitting on the couch the other day and Dan said to me [about Hannah] "I think she loves Aly more than either one of us!" It is so true...

Even though her favorite word is "Noooo!", She has several words and is adding more to her vocabulary each day. Her attitude is out of control!! She 'mean muggs' everyone - friend or foe, crosses her arms, and throws things. Don't you dare go anywhere without her 'me'! She is such a dare devil and is so clumsy...

My favorite thing right now has to be time outs. She gets them...often. The cutest thing is that when you go to talk to her she looks at you with puppy dog eyes and a pouty, says, "Saahee" and the immediately leans in for a hug! How can you possible stay mad at that?!?!?

Her smile is contagious and she is so full of life! Happy {half} birthday pumpkin!

Who is Isabella??

I love picking Alyssa up from pre-school! It really is the BEST part of my day! She is always so happy and is in a great mood. We get to spend some quality time together on the way home. I try to get her to talk about her day while we are in the car, but she doesn't always want to cooperate. After I ask her what they learned, I usually ask her what her friends names are - she always says she doesn't remember...then she started talking about Isabella. She says she has a lot of fun playing with her and wants to invite her to her birthday party (yes, I know it is 9 months away...). How cute! Her first friend that is not someone we know! I have never seen Isabella and by the time I pick her up, half the class is gone.

This morning when my mom dropped her off she tried to look for her, but there is one small problem...there is NO Isabella in Aly's class!! So...who is the mystery girl Alyssa likes so much?? We don't know! I don't know if Aly thinks that is one of the girls' names in her class, if Isabella is from another class and they play outside together, or if Isabella is imaginary! I will say that Isabella has never come home with us...

I will have to ask her teachers about her new 'best friend'!!

The NEW House

Here is a picture so far...drywall is supposed to start tomorrow and it is scheduled to be done in 45 days!! We should be closing the beginning of November and in by Thanksgiving! How appropriate!!

WE ARE IN CONTRACT!!

After 7 months on the market and TONS and TONS of inconvenient, disappointing showings and ignorant feedback, we finally got the call we had been waiting for...someone was making an offer on our house! The only problem was that it was about $8,000 too low for us to accept. We countered back - barely moved the price at all - and hoped for the best. We got the call Saturday morning that she was not going to respond to our counter. We were disappointed, but there was nothing else we could do! We honestly lost all hope we would get the new house.

Then a few hours later, our brilliant realtor/my aunt (Lori Hicks with HER - if you need a realtor) called me with an idea to ask Westport to help out! So after several hours of phone calls back and forth we finally made a deal with Westport and the buyer!! Alas, we are in contract!!! I never thought we would get there! The best part is that we can stay until our house is done and not have to move twice!! Let's just pray the inspection and appraisal go ok...

Here is Dan after we replaced the sign topper!

Hannah Meets Dora

We went to the zoo to meet Dora yesterday. Aly only wanted to look from a distance. Hannah and I went to get our picture taken with her, but when we got next to her she was terrified! I think we better wait a little longer on Disney World...

Second Day Success!

I was worried Aly would cry when my mom dropped her off at pre-school this morning, but much to everyone's surprise (and thanks to a little bribing - Grandma promised a duck and Daddy promised a new book) she did GREAT!! She didn't cry at all and she was even the 'Helper Bear' today. Being the Helper Bear for the day means she got to hold the flag, put the date on the calendar and change the bear's clothes based on the weather. I am so proud of her! I knew she was going to love school!

Plus, thanks to my schedule at school this year, I am able to pick her up on my lunch and take her to my mom! Not only does it help my mom out since that is usually Hannah's nap time, but it makes me feel better about working! Anyway, she was so happy when I got her and told me all about her day! I told her that maybe grandma would have lunch waiting for her when we got to her house...her response was "She better have a duck waiting for me!"

Never a dull moment!

GROSS - Time to buy a lock!

So, today is the third day in a row that I have found Hannah playing, happily, in the toilet! She was even styling her hair with it tonight when I found her. Isn't that a lovely image?!?!? I knew she really liked splashing in water, but this is a little extreme! And to make matters worse, since Alyssa is potty trained now - and doesn't flush - there is no guarantee it is a 'clean' toilet. I thought we were past baby proofing the house, but I guess I am going to have to invest in some kind of toilet lock.

And a lock for the pantry door...

It is official...

we have a pre-schooler! I still can't believe my little princess is old enough to start school!! But, believe it or not, she is...and she did! I took a personal day at school today so I could be with her since one of us had to stay with her all of class today. Even though she loves church [finally, after 2 years of crying], I have been really nervous about how she would do at school because she is soooooo shy. I got even more nervous this morning when she told me she was "too busy" to go to school! I just kept telling her how fun it was going be...then in the car on the way there she said she had been dreaming about it last night.

When we got there, she didn't really want to cooperate with pictures, but I snapped a few anyway and we headed inside to her classroom. Her teachers, Miss Karen and Miss Nancy, were waiting to greet everyone and Aly immediately clung to my leg. We found her name tag, put her name on her tray for the day and washed her hands. The first 15 minutes were just for free play, so we I tried to suggest a few things to do. She didn't want to do anything until she was the table set up with magnifying glasses and sea shells. We played there until it was time for circle time. During the welcome circle time, she listened very carefully to her teachers as they explained they were going to be painting and coloring today! Her eyes lit up and as soon as they gave the go ahead, she ran to the paint station - my little artist! She painted for much longer than the others before I managed to get her to move on to the coloring table. She quickly colored her apple and was back to free play. During the last circle time and story time she listened intently, but refused to participate in the songs or motions (which I know she was just shy about doing because she made me sing them all with her tonight several times). Same thing for music time...I know this will change as she gets more comfortable.

Finally it was time to go. She gathered up her papers - in her backpack which is bigger than she is- and we left. Since she was in a better mood leaving, I got to get a picture of her in front of the sign! She was so sweet today, and as sad as it is that she is moving on to a new stage, I know she is going to enjoy school so much! She really loves to learn and do activities! Plus, it will be good for her to make some new friends!

I did better than I thought I would...I didn't even cry! I think I was so excited and nervous for her that I didn't have time to think about it. I did have a case of the 'moms' though while I sat there in circle time with her. Guilty, that I don't stay home with them. Comparing her to the other kids...did I prepare her enough? Could I have done more? Is she ready for this...all the other kids seem older! I haven't socialized her enough...etc. In the end I have to know that we have done ever thing we can and that she has to do somethings on her own. She is smart and she is soooo ready for the experience. I know she is going to grow so much this year and if baby her or she will not be prepared for the next step. I know it is only pre-school, but it is just hard to let go of some of that control. She will always be my baby (even if she eats and gets bigger ;)!

Look at how cute she is!!

Going in to school....look at how HUGE her backpack is!!

Let's take a closer look at these shells!

Painting -- Her favorite thing to do!!

After school in front of the sign! What a great day!

Happy Anniversary!

It's our anniversary!! Since Dan had to work today, we went out to celebrate yesterday and had a great time together! We saw 'The Time Traveler's Wife' and then have the most amazing fillets, broccoli and margaritas at Outback! Very delicious!

It is hard to believe it has been 7 years! In a way it feels like we have been married forever, we have become such a part of each other that it is hard to remember what is was like without one another. But, then again, it feels like we just got married! If anyone would have told me 10 years ago - when we met - that this is where we would be, I would not have believed them. I could not have imagined anything better and I wouldn't change one second of our lives together (except maybe being able to sell our house ;) God has definitely been good to us! We both have great jobs and two beautiful little girls! I feel so incredibly blessed to be truly married to my best friend! And, even though this year - statistically - is supposed to be the hardest year of marriage, I can't wait to see what it brings us!

Give me a 'sign'!

Hannah's vocabulary is growing everyday, but I (being the impatient person I am) have tried to teach the most important things in sign language. She picked them up very easily and uses them on a daily basis! She can sign 'more', 'please' and 'thank you'. It is so cute to watch her do it and has helped her express what she wants since she doesn't have enough words to vocalize it yet! Aly has learned and does it right along with her. I am going to have to try to get it on video! I only wish I knew more to teach her!

I don't want to grow up...

Dan and I were talking tonight about what we are going to do this weekend for our anniversary. Aly overheard the conversation and the rest of it went like this:

Aly: Am I going to go with you guys?

Dan: No, mommy and I are going to go on a date for our anniversary.

Aly: Oh, well....who is going to watch us?

Dan: Probably Grandma Aidan...

Aly: Is she going to feed us?

Dan: Of Course!

Aly: What will we eat??

Dan: I don't know...maybe some fruit. You like fruit. [We always tell her she needs to eat healthy foods if she wants to be a big girl - boy did that backfire!]

Aly: No! I don't want fruit! I don't want to get bigger! You want me to stay little...right, Daddy??

Dan: Right! But, even if you get bigger you will always be my little girl!!

Aly [thinking it over]: Oh-kayyy...but, I don't want to get big. I just won't eat!

-------------

How can you not fall in love with this little girl?!?!?!?!?!

Look at My Nuts!!

Grandma took the girls acorn picking this morning! Aly came home with a ton of nuts and is very proud of her collection. She keeps walking around showing them to us "Look at my nuts!!" It is so cute...but it is a good thing she is not a boy! ;)

Oh, for the love of PENGUINS...

Aly lost her penguin stuffed animal that we bought her at the aquarium last month...and you all know how attached she is to ALL of her stuffed animals. We searched the house high and low, called the barber shop where she had been with Dan, the McDonald's by Hoover Dam and retraced all of our steps. Luckily, Aly was great about it and we told her we would get a new one from the Zoo.

So, after school on Tuesday, we decided to go to the zoo to get it. We knew we were going to be cutting in close since we left here at 5 and they closed at 6, but we didn't have a choice. Of course, there was an accident on 270 so we barely moved for about 10 miles before it cleared out. By this point it was after 5:30 and I thought there was NO way we were going to make it on time. Then we hit the Sawmill Rd. exit and it was nearly stopped due to rush hour traffic (which is no surprise). Thanks to Dan's 'defensive driving' we made it to Hard Rd. with about 10 minutes 'til closing (and at least that in driving time left!!), knowing full well that if they didn't let us in the gates we were in for a VERY long night! Dan disregards all the traffic signs throughout the zoo parking lot headed straight for the handicap spots. He is almost jumped out as the van came to a stop, grabbed Aly and ran towards the gate...it was literally 5:58!! I jumped in the driver's seat, parked the car, grabbed Hannah and head towards the gate to meet them. I, by the way, can't run because I was so incredibly nauseous from the horrible skilled driving there that I was about ready to puke. As I approached the gates, the guy was covering the ticket scanner for the night. I explained that I just needed to go to the gift shop and he -reluctantly- lets me in. THANK GOD!

Aly perused the stuffed animal collection and made her selection. Hannah, of course, wanted the same one. Luckily the weren't too horribly expensive and with our zoo member discount we paid under $30 for them both!

Knowing that we could not get back in the car for another hour of traffic after only 10 minutes in the gift shop, Dan told some lame story to a zoo employee about the girls 'losing a cup' by the elephants and they let us go 'search' for it. We finally were able to slow down and breathe! We looked at a few animals before heading to the car. The girls were hugging their new penguins and actually bouncing and dancing through the park!!

The ride home was almost as good as the ride there. Even though we didn't hit much traffic, Hannah screamed the ENTIRE way home...all 45 minutes of it! We finally got home around 7:30 and I made dinner. What a night!!

Even though it was stressful and silly that we had to take 2.5 hours on a school night chasing down a penguin (not to mention breaking traffic laws and lying to zoo employees), it was totally worth it to see the joy on Alyssa and Hannah's faces!! it is amazing the things you will do for your kids! And now we have a great story to go with it!!

A Day Out with Grandpa:

I took the girls to my parents last Sunday to get out of the house for a showing. When I got there, my dad decided to take the girls on a visit to GG's to see some baby mice they found while cleaning out her garage. He asked me if I wanted to go, but Alyssa informed me I was not allowed...probably because she knew that the day would have played out a little different had I been with them! Smart girl! So here is how the afternoon went:

After they had been gone for a while (and since he took nothing with them: diapers, drinks, snacks, etc.) I texted him to find out where they were. Apparently GG's mice weren't interesting enough, because I got a picture back with a caption that said "We are at the pet store". After warning them not to come back with a pet of ANY kind, I figured it wouldn't be long before they were back.

More time passed and I got another text...now they were at Best Buy looking for movies! Like they really need anymore movies!! Then, my dad called me when they left there and said that he was feeding them lunch (which just happened to be a well balanced meal of chocolate covered pretzels) and that Aly wanted to see what the inside of Starbucks looks like before they came home (Nice try...I'm not buying it).

So finally, I got this picture that says: "We will be home when they are done eating their whipped cream".

They sure do have some great adventures...what are grandpas for, right?!?!?

Back in the swing of things...

So, the lack of posting is due to the fact that summer, sadly, has once again ended and another school year has begun. It is hard enough to adapt to the school routine after a lazy summer of staying in our pajamas until late morning and falling back to sleep on the couch while the girls watch Dora, but since we both have new job this year it is that much harder to form new habits. Thankfully, my early morning trek to Pickerington has been traded in for a short drive to Gahannna at a MUCH later time. Dan has to be at school pretty early, but we are slowing getting our bodies adjusted. We are also so blessed to have my mom babysit the girls -- and come to our house! We are so grateful! It takes such a stress off of us not having to get them ready too. If we could just remember to pack lunches at night and make ourselves go to bed at a decent time we would be in good shape...

School is great though! Dan is really enjoying teaching and like his school a lot. And, of course, I love teaching in Gahanna! In a weird way it is almost like we have finally grown up and have a little bit of stability in our careers. That, is a great feeling!

I definitely love summer, but the Fall is so much fun too! I can't wait for a cool breeze to blow through the house, high school sports and Buckeye's games, apple picking (with homemade apple crisp and vanilla ice cream to follow), carving pumpkins, 'sweater weather' and hot soups! I love living in Ohio...even with the crazy weather!!