The Rattays

July - October - A summary

2009-10-17T13:33:00.002-04:00

As this is the first post in several months, it's apparent I've been neglecting the blog. I've added links to photo albums on the right side. You can pretty much see what we've been doing from those, but I'll give you a quick list of the highlights.

Things we've done:

Several trips to camp.

The kids and I spent a few days at Lake Erie with friends.

We took a tour of an Alpaca Farm with BFF.

We've made several trips to the zoo and the aviary.

Chelsea celebrated her 2nd Birthday.

Josh & Chelsea started school. This is Joshua's 2nd year, and Chelsea's first year.

We made a trip to Utica, Ohio to visit family on their farm.

A hayride with BFF.

Lots and lots of playgroups!

June is here and gone...

2009-07-13T11:52:00.007-04:00

We started off June with a wonderful long weekend trip to Washington DC. We visited the Natural History Museum, Air & Space Museum, several of the monuments and the National Zoo. I was surprised to see how family friendly and inexpensive the city was. The kids had a lot of fun, and Scott and I were able to soak in some history at the same time.

The weather was wonderful in June! We spent a lot of time at the park, playing in our water fountain and finding fun wet places to play. Our new favorite place is Mingo Creek park. The kids have a lot of fun playing in the creek, throwing rocks and running around there.

Father's Day this year was spent with BFF! We rented a section at the Consol Energy Park, and watched the Washington Wild Things baseball team. The kids thought it was great, but we only made it to the end of the third inning. We reserved the pavillion and had an all you can eat buffet of the classic baseball foods. It is something we are definitely looking forward to doing again!

Scott had a business trip this month, but on his way out of town, we stopped at Camp for a couple days. We took both cars, and one kid each, and then on Saturday afternoon, he drove

down to Baltimore. I stayed until nap time on Sunday. We had a great time, as usual! The kids didn't want to leave, and it took a lot of persuasion, and a promise to come back soon, to get them into the van.

A photographer friend of mine followed us around Round Hill Farm for a couple hours, taking pictures. She was wonderful to work with, and I'm thrilled with the results.

As always, there are links to my photo albums on the right side. I'll post our July updates, soon!

Summer is almost here!

2009-05-26T13:15:00.008-04:00

The kids and I started off the month doing lots of crafts for Mother's Day and with spring time themes. Scott started taking Joshua to the Home Depot for their project days, and they made the cutest wheelbarrow flower planter.

Scott was out of town on business for the better part of 3 weeks at the end of April and beginning of May. He has been to Georgia, New Jersey and Baltimore this time around. His next trip is just outside of Washington DC in June, and the kids and I are going to drive down to meet him for a few days. We have been scouring the tourism websites for great things to do with the kids there. We're pretty excited about it.

We had a tour at a local dairy farm with BFF. It happened to be on a day Scott was actually in town, and he was able to take the day off to come with us. The kids had a great time looking at all of the cows - especially the babies!

Joshua's last day of school was the 19th. He has been a little confused about why school is closed for the summer, and why he isn't allowed to go see his teachers. He is excited to go back in September. The teachers aide who was in his class this year will also be an assistant for his new class next year. I'm hoping this will work well for his transition. Chelsea will be starting in the same 2 year old program Joshua was in this year. She will also have the same 2 teachers Joshua had this year, so she knows them already. We're hoping this will work in our favor when it comes to the separation anxiety.

Joshua and Scott have started several small gardens in the yard this month. They have sunflowers, pumpkins, carrots, spinach, corn and flowers starting to sprout already. We are hoping to have pumpkins to use for Halloween this year. Scott bought "Competition Size" Pumpkins, so it should be interesting to see how large they actually get!

With the warmer weather, we are spending a lot of time outside at the park, going to picnics and having fun. We have a great new fountain sprinkler to play with in the yard, and plans for lots of fun things around town this summer. We'll keep everyone updated!

There are several photo albums listed on the right with some of the fun things we've done the last couple months. Be sure to take a look at them!

Birthdays, Easter & Springtime!

2009-04-18T13:40:00.005-04:00

We have had a wonderful April so far! I celebrated my (number not disclosed) birthday on the 10th. Joshua made me a cake - sort of.

It was a giant rice krispie treat in an Elmo pan. Very cute, and quite yummy, too!

We had a wonderful Easter! We had several Easter Egg Hunts, and fun craft playgroups the first two weeks of April. The kids had a lot of fun, as did I.

We are excited about the warmer weather headed our way. We are trying to spend as much time outside as possible. The kids have discovered chalk art on the driveway, and enjoy helping Daddy washing the cars and cutting the grass. I have a lot of fun things planned for this summer!

The Last Two Months....

2009-03-20T14:41:00.002-04:00

I was reminded I haven't updated the blog in awhile, and I'm finding it hard to believe it has been since January. I guess I've been busy :)

The kids and I are keeping busy at playgroups. We are attending at least 2 or 3 a week, as well as hosting them here at the house once a week or so.

Josh is loving school, and is doing really well. I had a Parent / Teacher conference yesterday, and they are thrilled with his improvement the last few months. The separation anxiety has disappeared, and he is doing well with group activities.

Chelsea knows about 60 or 70 words now, and can string 2 or 3 together into simple sentences. She loves to copy everything Josh does, and we're having a hard time explaining she's too little for some things. The doctor is concerned about her size. Her weight percentage is steadily decreasing. If we can't maintain or increase the percentage at her next appointment, she is going to undergo some testing to make sure she's not failing to thrive.

Scott has been traveling a lot with his new job. He's made trips to Chicago, Columbus and New Jersey. He has several trips planned in the near future, including Sacramento, Los Angeles and another trip to New Jersey.

We have been trying to get outside as often as we can the last couple months. Being cooped up inside so much is starting to get rough with 2 toddlers. We've made our first trips to Round Hill Farm and the Zoo this month, and are anxious to go back.

I have added several photo albums to the right side of the page. Take a look to see what we've been up to.

My baby is now 3!

2009-01-23T10:38:00.006-05:00

On Wednesday Joshua turned three years old. It's amazing how quickly the time went by. I made him a farm cake this year, complete with cows, a barn, and of course a John Deere tractor.

The cake has a crushed graham cracker dirt road, and coconut dyed green grass. The figures and barn are all toys Joshua already had. I had to buy the tractor. I think it turned out cute.

Happy Birthday, GG!

2009-01-05T15:51:00.001-05:00

We celebrated Great Grams 86th Birthday this weekend. Videos are posted on the right.
Happy Birthday GG!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T09:01:00.003-05:00

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Be sure to check out the photo albums from our Christmas posted on the right. I have also started a 2009 Photo Album section, with a few pictures in the January album. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas, Disco Style!

2008-12-25T21:04:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

A Special Phone Call...

2008-12-23T20:18:00.001-05:00

Joshua received a special phone call from Santa this evening. I think this was the highlight of the Christmas season!

The Highs & Lows...

2008-12-20T20:23:00.003-05:00

We have been busy with lots of fun playgroups, and Holiday events around town the last couple weeks. We've gotten all of our shopping finished, the decorating done, and the only thing left on my list is the wrapping.

Wednesday night we went to Hartwood Acres Festival of Lights display. It was fantastic, and Josh was "so excited!!"

On our way home we were in a car accident, and hit by what we are assuming was a drunk driver. She was turning left out of a bar parking lot as we were driving past. After the initial impact, and surveying of damage, Scott and the other driver moved the cars off the road to let the traffic pass. The other driver decided it wasn't necessary to stick around to swap insurance information, so we have no idea who she is. Thankfully we weren't injured. The kids didn't even make a noise until after we had moved the car. At that point, Joshua just asked me, "What was that?"

Pictures of the damage. Her front end connected with the rear passenger door. Chelsea was sitting in that seat. I don't want to even think about what would have happened if she were going a little faster. The damage to the car was pretty severe - about $3500 worth. Our insurance is considering it a "no fault" accident since it was a hit and run, so we're only responsible for our $500 deductible... but that's still $500 more than I'm willing to pay for something that was totally not our fault.

December Already?

2008-12-01T20:39:00.002-05:00

The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind of activity around here. We hosted Thanksgiving here at the house. Scott cooked - it was fabulous!

On Black Friday we went to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum to ride a trolley with Santa! We all had a great time singing carols, and telling Santa what we want for Christmas. Joshua was thrilled beyond belief with the electric train layout, and being able to climb up on the trolleys in the Car Barn. You can see all of the pictures here: Trolley Museum - Santa Trolley.

We are preparing for Christmas around here now. We've gone to the mall to see Santa, rode the train there, and decorated the house. Joshua is very excited about the prospects of Santa coming soon. I'm not sure he understands he has to wait 3 1/2 more weeks... but I guess it will just make it that much sweeter come Christmas morning.

We have several fun things planned over the next couple weeks, we'll be sure to update. Don't forget to check out our "Elf Yourself" moving on the right side, too!

That's fall, folks!

2008-11-15T14:44:00.010-05:00

We have reached the middle of November, and it definitely feels like fall around here. Halloween was SO much fun! We left a bowl of candy out for anyone stopping by our house, and took the kids to about 20 or 25 houses in the neighborhood. Both kids had a blast... especially after they realized that knocking on doors resulted in candy, chips and other yummy treats!

We tried to take advantage of what is left of the warm weather for the year. We made a trip down to Round Hill Farm, and spent as much time outside as we could.

With sunset coming earlier and earlier now, it makes things a little more difficult to get out. We haven't let that stop us though. We spent an evening playing in the leaves - in the dark!

Chelsea and I have been taking advantage of the time Joshua is at school, by attending playgroups specifically for little girls. Last week, we discovered Chelsea's Inner Diva at a Pinkalicious Party.

Mom celebrated her birthday last week. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!! We went over to her house, and Amy made us dinner and a fancy, yummy birthday cake.

Since the weather has been questionable lately, we have moved our weekly walks to the mall. They have been busy decorating for the Holidays and Joshua is VERY excited about the fact that Santa is coming soon! They have a decorated Christmas tree, Santa's chair and the Holiday Express Train all ready to go for the big guy's visit. Of course they have the train set up right next to the play area, and every child that sees it begs their parents to let them ride.
We were not the exception.
Last year, I had to ride with them, because even though Joshua wanted to ride, he was scared. This year he practically jumped over the fence, and was very excited about the entire process. We strapped Chelsea into the seat next to him. She was a bit apprehensive about the ride, but tolerated it because Joshua was with her.

We spent this morning at the Children's Museum. Both kids had a great time, and are now peacefully sleeping. They always have a great time there.

With the Holidays coming, we have a lot of activities planned, and I will have much more to write about. Hopefully I'll be able to find the time to post!

As always, there are more pictures of everything we have done. The links to those albums are on the right side of the page.

And We're Off!

2008-10-24T14:42:00.003-04:00

On 10/22/2808 Chelsea stood up behind a push toy,
and realized she can use it for balance!
She hasn't mastered a solo mission yet,
but we're working on it!

Yay Chelsea!!!!

Hayrides, Animals & Apple Tossing!

2008-10-18T17:54:00.009-04:00

This week has been full of fall fun! Last Friday evening we went to the MoMo Fall Festival & Hayride at Mingo Creek Park. We had a pumpkin hunt, made s'mores, and took a wonderful hayride! (And much more!) The kids all dressed up and we had a "Trunk or Treat". Everyone brought bowls of candy, and sat them in their trunks. It was perfect for toddlers with short attention spans.

Our Farmer and Cow

In addition to the playgroups, story times and other MoMo events we attended this week, we had a special treat! An exclusive tour of Heinz Field! It was a lot of fun to sit in the Press Box, the Luxury Boxes, and see the locker rooms where our favorite Steelers get ready for the games. We had a great time - although Josh was a little upset we couldn't run on the field. :)

This morning we took a trip to Vienna. Vienna, Ohio that is. Scott's aunt invited us to go to Wagon Trails Safari. It was so much fun! They have a great petting zoo to explore while you are waiting for your safari to start.

The safari truck is open air - and you have a great view from anywhere you sit. The animals walked right up to the truck so we could feed them. Some were a little more aggressive and actually stuck their noses under our seats to get to food dropped on the floor.

Afterward, we went to the "Apple Toss". They gave us each a bucket of apples, and we could chuck them over the fence to some of the animals. For those of us who can't throw well, they had big PVC pipes set up to roll the apples down to the animals through the fence, and a giant sling shot to fling them over the fence.

For more pictures, here are the albums from Wagon Trails:
Petting Zoo
Safari Ride
Apple Toss

Fall, Festivals & Fun

2008-10-09T11:24:00.006-04:00

We have had a couple busy weeks here in the Rattay household. (Yeah, so what else is new?) Joshua is doing much better at school, now. He has been taking a small stuffed animal with him, (one of several, actually... he chooses one each school day) and that seems to have made a big difference in his attitude about the whole experience.

We went to Simmons Farm last week to pick apples! I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but we all had a really good time. The trees were a lot smaller than I expected, and Joshua was actually able to reach the branches, and pick them himself. He was so excited about the entire process. We only bought a peck, but we're still eating apples!

We will be going back to Simmons next week with Joshua's preschool, for a hayride and pumpkin picking.

Earlier this week we went back to Round Hill Farm again, for the sole purpose of taking fall pictures of the kids. Joshua was pleasantly surprised to find out there were 2 new baby cows on display this time. Amy and Gregg went with us, and I was able to take quite a few nice pictures of the kids.

Tomorrow night we are joining in on a hayride with MoMo at Mingo Creek State Park. I'm hoping to be able to attend one or two more apple / pumpkin / fall festivals in the next couple weeks... I'll keep everyone updated.

Oh the joys of motherhood...

2008-09-24T20:18:00.002-04:00

The last couple weeks has been hectic to say the least. Rushing to get two kids up and out of the house by 8:30 is a lot harder than I thought it would ever be! A few tricks I've learned over the past 2 1/2 years have helped out... packing our bags the night before, getting myself up and ready a 1/2 hour before I get the kids up... things like that.

Joshua isn't doing so well at school now. Scott took a day off work last week to take him, and Joshua didn't understand why he couldn't stay at school with him. He threw a full out tantrum as we were leaving, and apparently got worse as the day went on. They had to call us to come get him early. He was an absolute mess. Needless to say, Daddy won't be taking him to school any time soon, again. We went back yesterday, and he wasn't quite as bad, but he still didn't want me to leave him. I'm hoping tomorrow will be a bit better.

On a positive note, he has be enjoying the art class portion of preschool! He has come home with some fun projects. I am taking pictures of everything he brings home, and I'm keeping a separate album. This way, I can just make a scrapbook of the pictures, and not have to keep every single project. Here is the album of Joshua's preschool artwork.

We went to the Pittsburgh Zoo this past weekend. We had a great time, and saw all the babies. The baby tiger has outgrown his original enclosure, and has taken over the snow leopards area. I'm not sure where the leopard went, though. The baby elephants are absolutely adorable. Joshua loves them. We spent quite a bit of time looking in the windows of the Elephant Family Room. You can see the complete album of pictures from our zoo trip here.

Last week we had some restructuring of the parenting organization we belong to. I am happy to announce that I have been named as the new President! I am very excited about my new responsibilities. It's going to be a lot of hard work if this week has been any indication, but I'm up for the challenge.

In Chelsea news: We had our 12 month well baby appointment yesterday. She is 17 1/2 lbs (6%) and 29" (50%). The doctor keeps insisting I feed her more, but the poor girl eats constantly! I'm looking into finding some higher calorie/fat kid-friendly drinks / snacks for her. She has a milk protein allergy, so that cuts out a lot of options. I guess I'll figure it out.

We have a lot of fun fall and Halloween activities planned in the next couple weeks, so I'll be sure to update soon!

School Days & a Birthday!

2008-09-14T16:20:00.004-04:00

We have had an extremely busy couple of weeks! Labor Day weekend, we met friends at Raccoon Creek State Park to go swimming. Steve & Patti met us there, too. We had a great time. Joshua and Chelsea can't get enough of the water! It's going to make for a fun summer next year.

Joshua started pre-school last week. He did much better than I thought he would! He loves his teacher. She is so much fun, and completely understands the separation anxiety that 2 year olds have. His first day, he didn't even really seem to care that I left when he realized Miss Teresea would be staying with him to play. The fact that she lets him paint, play with play dough, and takes him outside to play is a big bonus, too! The first week was only an hour a day with 1/2 the class, to help the kids get used to things. This week is an hour and a half with the whole class, so we'll see how it goes. I'm looking forward to be able to do some shopping and run errands with just Chelsea in tow.

Chelsea's first birthday was this past Friday. My baby has turned one. It's hard to believe a year has gone by so quickly. I'm having a hard time dealing with it, actually. My mom, sister and I took her to the mall for a special present. Chelsea had her ears pierced! She did extremely well, and hardly cried at all. It was kind of like she was excited about it, if a 1 yr old can realize what was actually going on. She lets me clean them, and twist them twice a day, and she doesn't pull at them or anything. I'm really pleased at how well she is doing with them.

On Friday, we celebrated at home with just the four of us. We had cupcakes and opened presents after dinner. Joshua was happy to be able to have an "un-birthday" present. It made things a lot easier in explaining to him that it wasn't HIS birthday, but Chelsea's, and the presents weren't all his. He doesn't quite understand the whole "sharing" thing, but we're getting there.

Saturday we celebrated with the immediate family at CiCi's Pizza. Chelsea's favorite toy right now seems to be her baby doll, so I made her a baby doll cake. I fully expected her to smash it, but she's such a little diva, she didn't want to get dirty. She did want to play with it, though. *laugh* We had a nice time, and she got a lot of really nice things from everyone. She came home and had a tea party with Joshua with her new tea set from Aunt Julia. It was so cute watching Joshua "pour tea" for her.

We're looking forward to some fun things in the next couple of weeks with fall coming. Joshua is looking forward to dressing up for Halloween, and getting candy. He plans on dressing up as a farmer, and he insists on Chelsea on being a cow... I have plans on making that work *laugh*. It's going to be fun.

End of August Already?

2008-08-30T15:03:00.008-04:00

I can't believe how quickly the summer went! It seems like just yesterday we were starting our weekly walks in the park and pulling out the kiddie pool. Hopefully we'll have a couple more weeks of nice weather before the leaves start to change and the snow starts to fall.

Chelsea News: She has started to pull herself up to standing the last couple weeks. It started out as a once in a while thing, but now it's every chance she gets. She is very excited to be able to see over things, now. I'm sure she'll be starting to take those first tentative steps soon! She's also starting to say A LOT more words! Cookie, something that sounds like "thank you", mama, daddy, Josh, cat, cup, fishy, ... I'm sure I'm missing some, too. She tries to do everything she sees Joshua doing, so I'm sure a lot of it is because of mimicking him. Chelsea also had her first professional photo shoot this month. As soon as I get the proofs, I'll post them!

We made another trip up to camp a couple weeks ago. We've only been there twice this summer... not nearly enough in my opinion, but we've been so busy the last few months, we really haven't had a chance. This trip included Julie & Elli, so there was even MORE fun things to do than normal. Joshua and Elli could have spent all day throwing rocks in the river, and Chelsea really liked splashing on the shore, and inspecting bugs and rocks.

We've been to quite a few playgroups the last couple weeks... as opposed to outside trips to the park, zoo, farm, etc. We went to a Science themed one and made an exploding volcano. THAT was pretty awesome. It actually worked - which amazed us *laugh*. Just imagine 5 toddlers and a few babies crowding around a table hoping for club soda to squirt up in the air. It was great.

Last weekend we made our first trip out to Raccoon Creek State Park's beach. The kids had a great time, and I really wish we would have gone earlier in the year! It reminded me a lot of being at Seneca growing up. Amy and Gregg met us there, and the boys had a great time splashing, playing in the sand, and "swimming". I was amazed that neither of them were afraid of the water. They were both up to their necks at one point. Chelsea loved the water as well. She would have been thrilled to be in it all day!

Earlier this week the kids weren't feeling well. Josh spiked a fever of 103.5, and Chelsea had one almost as high. We took a few days off from running around, and playing with our friends. (We wouldn't want to get anyone else sick, too!) I never figured out what was wrong with them... it was only the fevers. What ever it was, made them miserable, so I'm glad it's over!

We were anxious to get out of the house, after being cooped up for almost a week! We made an interesting journey to White Oak for a playgroup where we made necklaces out of yarn and Fruit Loops. (I got terribly lost - twice! We made it, and were only a few minutes late, so I guess it's not too bad *grin*) I'm not sure what the kids thought was more fun: stringing the Fruit Loops, or EATING them. All of the kids seemed to have a good time, and they all played very well together. Joshua made a new friend, also named Josh. A little confusing, but they got along great, and for only being 2, had a lot in common!

We have some big plans for Labor Day weekend, so I'll be updating again soon!

Preschool news + zoo + farm = great week!

2008-08-12T20:37:00.006-04:00

We heard from our #1 choice in preschools today, and Joshua was able to take a recently vacated spot. I am thrilled beyond words! We have a meeting with them later this week to finalize the paperwork, and to show Joshua around a bit. I hope he adjusts well to it. I'm so excited for him... but I'm not sure he knows what we're talking about exactly.

We went to the zoo last week, to see the new babies! The baby tiger, and both elephants were absolutely adorable! Josh didn't want to leave the view windows of the Elephant Family Room.

We went down to Round Hill Farm AGAIN this morning. We met some friends to feed the ducks, then walked through the farm exhibits. Afterward, we drove up to a grove with a playground, and had a picnic. The kids ran themselves to exhaustion. The weather was beautiful for a morning outside. The kids got along SO WELL! Not one fight the entire morning. It was a great day.

... and August is upon us.

2008-08-03T13:23:00.005-04:00

It's hard to believe that it is August already. Before we know it school will be starting, the leaves will be changing, we'll be digging out warmer clothes, and then the first snowflakes will fall.

We have been taking advantage of the warm weather the last couple weeks. We have spent a lot of time outside - attempting to cool off. Friends have introduced us to Moore Park in Brookline. It has a nice play gym, but also has 2 large pillars with sprinklers on top. It sprays 360 º around an enclosed area, and is a great place for kids to play. Joshua had a great time running around in circles. I think he was more wet that afternoon than he is during bathtime!

We have made yet another trip to Round Hill Farm this week. This time we took Amy, Big Gregg and Little Gregg, too. This was the first time they had been there, and Little Gregg loved it as much as Joshua always does.

We have been in contact with a very reputable preschool in Mt. Lebanon this month. We are hoping to enroll Joshua into their 2 yr old program in September. It is 2 days a week, for 2 hours each day. He seems to be excited about the prospects of going to school like a big kid. Apparently he has been told you learn how to play hockey at school, and he is anxious for that, as well. As much as I'm a little anxious about sending him somewhere without me, I am looking forward to some alone time with Chelsea.

Chelsea is going to be a year old next month... it's hard to believe that much time has gone by. She is growing up so quickly! She can say several words - Mama, Dada, Josh, Cat, Hi and Uhoh. She has started pulling herself up a little bit. She's not quite standing, but I'm sure she'll be there soon. She is quite accomplished at climbing over things, and getting into EVERYTHING! I'm not quite sure what I'll do once she's actually walking *laugh*.

Fireworks, Picnics and the Farm

2008-07-25T14:56:00.003-04:00

We spent the Fourth of July at home this year. We took the kids to the Brentwood Parade. Josh loved watching the marching bands, floats and fire trucks. The highlight of the day, though, was all of the candy that was thrown! We went home with a big bag full of tootsie rolls, lollipops and peppermints.

Josh got to play in the annual family picnic softball game this year. The weather was a little questionable, but it only rained for about 10 minutes the entire afternoon. It was a lot of fun.

We've made a new discovery last week. Round Hill Farm. Joshua has an infatuation with everything farm related, so of course it was a huge hit with him. We had a guided tour arranged for MoMo, and we all had a great time. We weren't even 1/2 way home before Josh asked when we could go back again. Apparently there were several other kids who were asking the same thing, because we went back one week later.

The second trip was to feed the ducks in their pond. Of course we walked through the rest of the farm, though. All of the kids (and the moms, too!) had a really great time. The weather was gorgeous - blue skies and it was in the 70s. When we were done walking, we drove up to a grove with a playground, and had ourselves a picnic.

News from Chelsea:

In the last couple months, Chelsea has learned a lot! All within 2 weeks, she figured out how to roll over, sit up, and crawl. I was worried because she was running behind on some of these things, but she finally figured it out. She's a little speed demon now, chasing her brother down the hallway. It's really cute.

Come to Me

2008-07-09T20:55:00.001-04:00

God saw you getting tired, and a cure was not to be,
so He put his arms around you and whispered, “Come to Me.”
With tearful eyes we watched you, and saw you pass away,
and although we loved you dearly, we could not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating, hard working hands at rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best.

We'll miss you.

June in Review...

2008-07-08T18:16:00.020-04:00

Joshua and I went to Soergel's for a Pony Party. He wasn't thrilled about the horses, and wouldn't ride one, but we had a good time, anyway.

They have great climbing structures, and a barn full of farm animals, and for a little boy who loves everything about a farm... it was a TON of fun.

.

We went to many playgroups, park play dates, and made a trip to the zoo with MoMo

.

We made our first trip of the year to camp. It was Chelsea's first time there, and I think she REALLY enjoyed the water. Joshua got to ride the tractor with PapPap, and we all enjoyed the relaxing weekend at the river.

.

We had a tour of PNC Park with MoMo. We saw everything from the Press Box and VIP Lounge, to the batting cages and dugout.

Overall it was a very full month!

E - I - E - O

2008-05-23T14:16:00.005-04:00

We spent last weekend at the farm! We started off our trip with a flat tire in Ohio. Totally unexpected, and annoying, but we lucked out. We were only about 15 minutes from Scott's cousin at work, and he put us in touch with a tire store. From the time the tire blew, until we were back on the road, only about an hour went by, so it wasn't too bad.

Joshua has been very excited about going to a real farm, and once he realized that is where we were going, he wouldn't stop chattering about it. When we finally got there, he didn't know what to do first.

It was absolutely beautiful when we got there, and since the rest of the weekend was questionable, we decided to try and do as much as we could before it got dark. We headed over to the part of the farm that has the horses. Josh was so excited! We traipsed through the field - some of the grass was higher than Joshua's waist! They also had a few pigs, which have become Josh's new favorite animal.

From there we went over to the cow barn. There were plenty of tractors there to crawl on, mud to squish through, and hay to feed to the cows. There's a trampoline near by, and Josh learned how to "Jump High!" After we tore Josh away from there, we headed up to the pig barn. He ran up and down the aisles between the pens, and was super excited.

Saturday we went to Velvet Ice Cream Company. We took cheerios to feed the ducks, then went in for ice cream. Josh was more interested in playing than in ice cream, so afterwards, we played in the playground behind.

For supper, we had a cookout at the farmhouse. Most of the family came down, and we were able to catch up with everyone. The kids made use of the swingset and the trampoline, and even crawled on top of some hay bales. It was a really nice evening.

Sunday morning, we visited all of the animals one more time before we left. Joshua was very upset we had to leave.

Josh starting asking when we're going to go back. He understands that it's far away, and we won't go again until next year, but it doesn't stop him from asking! I've been taking him to the Game Perserve, and we have a trip to Round Hill Farm planned in a couple weeks. Hopefully that will be enough to hold him until Spring!

If you'd like to see the rest of the pictures, you can view them in the Farm Album.

In other news, Chelsea has her first 2 teeth! The first one broke through last Tuesday, and the 2nd on this past Wednesday. She has the cutest little grin! If you look close, you can see them.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T14:29:00.003-04:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! We're only half way through the day, and the kids are sleeping, so I thought this would be a good time to update the blog.

We spent the morning at the National Aviary. We always enjoy ourselves there, and today was no different. We timed it perfectly, we saw 2 feedings, as well as the "Flights of the North Shore" presentation. I was actually able to help feed. It was pure luck Scott got this picture when he did, but I think it turned out great!

This was actually the 3rd time I've had the kids at the Aviary in the last couple months. We purchased a membership back in March, and we have been trying to go often, to take advantage of the savings. Joshua LOVES the birds, and is always excited to go. It only takes about an hour to walk through, and that includes one or two presentations. Afterwards, if the weather is nice, we'll walk through West Park, and look at the ducks in the pond, and have a picnic lunch. There is also a playground we'll play on before we head back to the car. It is a nice way to spend the morning, and it's perfect for the attention span of a toddler and an infant.

We have a lot of fun things planned for May and June already! We have memberships to the Zoo, Aviary, and Children's Museum, so we'll be spending plenty of time there, I'm sure. We've started our weekly walks in South Park with MoMo, and we are signed up for some fun playgroups and field trips, too.

Scott has relatives who own a farm in Ohio. We'll be making a trip to stay there for a few days, soon. His parents, and Aunt are going to join us, as well. They have cattle, pigs and horses... and most importantly: TRACTORS! Joshua is very excited about the trip. Every morning he asks me if today is the day to go see the tractors. I made a calendar, and every morning we mark off the day before, and count how many more days until we leave for the farm. I'm not sure he actually understands the meaning of time in days or weeks, but he likes to cross off the days.

I'll update again in a week or two - there will be lots to talk about!

Looks like spring is here!

2008-04-20T12:43:00.004-04:00

We have had some wonderful weather the last couple weeks! We are spending as much time outside as we can!

We made a trip our first trip of the summer to zoo! Josh was thrilled, because we had a special treat of seeing an elephant get a bath. He talked about it for days! For Chelsea, this was the first time she was actually awake while we were there. She seemed to enjoy it, as well.

We went to cousin Brooklynn's house for her birthday party! Josh (with the help of his Daddy) learned how to climb a tree. He was absolutely thrilled sitting "up high." Me? Not so much.

One of our playgroup friends arranged a trip to a local Fire Dept. Josh was thrilled. He wore his Fire Fighter coat, and was so excited to sit in the seat. He still talks about "touching a Fire Truck!"

The next day we made use of our Aviary membership. Other than not being allowed to throw pretzels to the ducks, Josh enjoyed himself. We were lucky enough to be there on the same day as a school trip, and we saw a special presentation on their penguins.

Yesterday was the first birthday party for our playgroup. We had over 200 people there from all over the area. It was so much fun. We have been planning it for almost 4 months, and it was wonderful to have it finally be happening, and have it be perfect! I honestly can't believe we've been a part of MoMo for over a year already. I'm not sure what I did without them!

April Showers...

2008-04-07T15:30:00.004-04:00

...haven't stopped us! We have been taking advantage of the warm weather, and have been outside quite a bit. We have a lot of playdates in the park scheduled, a trip to the zoo coming up, as well as the 1st Birthday Party for our Playgroup!

We made a visit to the Children's Museum for the first time! We enjoyed it so much, we opted to purchase a membership - the plan we purchased includes membership to the Aviary as well, so we'll be making some extra trips there, too! Josh really enjoyed the waterplay area at the Museum - and thankfully I had been given the heads up to bring an extra change of clothing!

Thanks to one of our MoMo friends, we've discovered a new park! There is an awesome climbing structure with slides and tunnels that Josh adores. We're planning on playing there a lot this summer!

To help celebrate the coming of spring, we decided a trip to Sarris for ice cream was in order! 9 MoMo's and their kids met for lunch first, then we all trekked over to the best chocolate factory / ice cream parlor in the area. We had a lot of fun. Josh and I shared a hot fudge sundae. If you had asked Josh, you would have thought it was Christmas all over again. He REALLY enjoyed it.

After our ice cream, we were able to visit with friends we hadn't seen for awhile. They've added a new addition to the family, and are starting to get back into the swing of things. Josh's little girlfriend Ella missed him a lot!

Our First Easter as Four...

2008-03-24T10:57:00.002-04:00

Saturday evening, Josh and I put our Easter baskets out for the Bunny. We bought new matching ones for the kids this year, so we got to add the grass and everything! Josh thought that was pretty "awesome". We left out a small bowl of carrots for the Bunny, too. Because he might get hungry. Josh wanted to leave him chocolate milk, too... but drank it!

Sunday morning after breakfast, Josh ran around the house looking for our baskets. The Easter Bunny did a great job hiding them for us. Josh found his, Chelsea's AND ours in no time.

Nana & Amy came over with Gregg, and we exchanged baskets with them, then had an Easter Egg Hunt in the game room! It was tons of fun... even though the boys were more interested in playing than with actually finding eggs. Amy and I had fun finding them though *grin*.

We went to lunch at Aunt Joan's, and got even MORE Easter presents, and had another Egg Hunt! We left for home at that point, so we could take a nap. Josh was about 2 minutes from a meltdown - we got out just in time!

After nap time, we went to Nana's house for dinner. Josh and Gregg were more interested in playing than eating, but that's ok... they had enough candy to last them a year - and were probably pretty full from that! *grin*

All in all, a very enjoyable day! Chelsea's first Easter was a success!

Happy Easter

2008-03-22T16:21:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter, everyone!

We have been extremely busy this month. A lot of playgroups, storytimes, and pre-Easter celebrations!

Last week we had an Egg Decorating playgroup here for some friends. Now - I HATE messy crafty stuff with the kids. SO! This was a "No-Mess Egg Decorating"! We took plastic eggs, and covered them in cute Easter stickers. The kids loved it, and the only mess was some scraps of paper afterwards! It was great.

Yesterday, I took the kids to the Trolley Museum, AGAIN. This time was for a ride with the Easter Bunny. We were there with MoMo, and had a great time. Josh is starting to lose his fear of giant costumed characters, and actually wanted to touch the Easter Bunny.

This morning we had another MoMo event. We had our own Easter Egg Hunt in South Park. We rented a grove, stuffed and hid eggs, had crafts & egg dying, and then let the kids have at it. It took about a month worth of planning & prep, and everything went off without a hitch... except the weather. It was a dreary 32 degrees, and wet. Everyone had a great time, despite the cold.

We are excited for Easter Morning. Josh seems to think Santa is coming, again.. he has the basic idea though. I've asked the Bunny to hide eggs for us, and my nephew is comong over in the morning to help us find them all.

I am so loving little girl clothes!
Chelsea will be celebrating her first Easter in style.

Rest in Peace, Coach

2008-03-02T09:41:00.003-05:00

Joseph "Coach" Dehn
1/15/1916 - 3/1/2008

Big Day For Chelsea!

2008-02-09T18:49:00.000-05:00

I rolled over!!

January is almost over....

2008-01-27T12:17:00.000-05:00

We have had a VERY busy January! Lots of birthdays for both friends and family, plenty of MoMo events and playdates, and even a trip to the zoo!

The first birthday of the month was for Great Grandma Betty. We helped celebrate her 85th birthday at a nice restaurant and then went to her house for awhile. It was a fun evening.

I won tickets to Sesame Street Live! Joshua LOVED seeing Elmo and Bert & Ernie, and the whole crew. It was a fun time. We had discussed buying tickets, but didn't think Josh would be old enough to enjoy it, yet. It just wasn't worth it to pay that much money if we might have to leave early. When I got the call that I had won, I couldn't believe it! We went down to Smithfield Street to get the vouchers, and then to the Arena to cash them in for tickets. We figured that if we had to leave, at least we didn't pay for them! We all had a great time (even Chelsea!), and we might have to do it again next year!

Joshua turned two on the 21st. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone! He is speaking in 4 and 5 word sentences now. Although it is still hard to understand some of what he is saying, it is a lot easier trying to figure out what he's trying to tell you. We have far less tantrums because of his frustrations in expressing himself. We have had extra because of his beginning the Terrible Twos, so I guess it evens out. :)

Chelsea is now 4 1/2 months old, and is becoming her own little person. She loves to get dressed up, and wear hair bows (much to mommy's delight!) She has "found her voice" and spends a lot of time squealing and "talking". She even has a couple favorite toys she loves to chew on! We think she may be teething, but there isn't anything showing, yet. We do have a lot of chewing and drooling, though.

We're still dealing with some jealousy issues, but Joshua loves his little sister! He likes to try to get Chelsea to play with him, but is content to let her watch. She will sit in her bouncer and laugh while Josh runs around being a toddler. It's amusing for Mommy to watch, as well!

Chelsea was baptized on Saturday the 26th at St. Winifred. We decided to do it there, because both sets of grandparents belong to that Parish. Father Kevin was very willing to accommodated us. It was a lovely ceremony. Chelsea looked like a little bride in the dress Nana bought her.

January 1, 2008

2008-01-01T12:25:00.000-05:00

Be sure to watch
the slideshow on
the right for our
Year in Review!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-26T22:47:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! It was a magical holiday for Joshua, and I thank everyone who had a part in making it that way.

I caught Santa checking on the kids, and filling our stockings...

There are more Christmas pictures in the December album if you want to go look. The link is on the right.

Sunday December 16, 2007

2007-12-16T13:01:00.000-05:00

For the Nebraska Fans in the family!

Our littlest Husker fan!

December 5, 2007

2007-12-05T12:25:00.000-05:00

It's snowing. There is about 3" of the white stuff out there now. We had plans for a playgroup this morning... but I can't get out of the garage! We're going to go out and play in it after nap time, I think. Josh has been talking about the snow all morning... except he calls it "Nose" hehe. It's super cute! I think he'll have a ball playing out there later.

Sunday evening we went to my moms house for Gregg's 2nd birthday! I can't believe he's 2 years old already! Time does fly! Mom and Amy made him a Train cake, which was super cute! I'm going to borrow the pan for Joshua's birthday. We ate Pizza, and opened presents, and the boys played for the rest of the evening. It was fun watching them with the new toys... I can't wait for Christmas!!

December 1, 2007

2007-12-01T14:27:00.001-05:00

Christmas is coming! We've been getting ready for Christmas for the last week. I have the inside decorating done, and Scott is on the roof as we speak, putting up the outside lights. Joshua helped me do some of the decorating. We have a special small tree just for the kids, and made the decorations for it. I figured it would be fun for Josh to decorate and play with - and not break any of the good ornaments.
The kids tree is 3' tall, and has pipe cleaner candy canes and ribbons on it. Joshua got a kick out of decorating it. He'll take all the candy canes off, and put them back on again, too. Just for fun, I guess. When we have friends come over for playgroups, their kids do the same thing. I guess it's easy entertainment!

We kicked off December with a visit to the Trolley Museum this morning. We took a trip on the Santa Trolley, sang Christmas Carols and played with their Thomas the Tank Engine display. They also had a great Lionel train display set up in the back room. It was a lot of fun. Josh babbled about the "Choo choo trains" all the way home. Josh asked Santa for a "Choo choo, please" and he has been a good boy, so we'll have to see what is under our tree Christmas morning!

Tuesday, November 20

2007-11-20T17:20:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it has been 3 weeks since I've posted anything! Guess we've been pretty busy!

There are entirely too many pictures, to post them, so be sure to check out the sharpcast slideshow!

We've been to visit a lot of relatives, and some have come to visit us, too! There have been a lot of playgroups, and fun places to go to. With the weather turning colder, it is getting increasingly harder to keep Josh occupied, so we're relying heavily on MoMo!

I finished my Christmas shopping last week... have half of it wrapped, too. I found out yesterday I didn't have to buy 3 of them, though. Oh well :)

We're sure to be busy in the next month or so I'm not sure when I'll post again. I'll try to be back soon!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

2007-11-01T09:12:00.001-04:00

Chelsea's First Halloween

Cousin Gregg as a Clown.

Joshua as a Fire Fighter, Elli as a Bee, and Chelsea as a Pumpkin.

Joshua in his Fire Truck.

October 30

2007-10-30T09:18:00.000-04:00

The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind! We have done so many Halloween activities, I'll be glad when Nov. 1st gets here!

We went to the zoo for Zoo Boo on the 20th. They had all sorts of decorations and treats for the kids. Josh walked the entire zoo collecting candy and looking at the animals. He is still infatuated with Elephants - we spent about 20 minutes watching them, and he still didn't want to leave.

We have been to lots of fun playgroups. We've made Lollipop Ghosts, and decorated Pumpkin Muffins to look like Jack-o-Lanterns. The Ghosts were kleenex over a lollipop secured with a rubberband! How cute is that? The pumpkin muffins were delicious, but even better with the icing and candy corn decoration.

We also recycled baby food jars, and made them in to Ghosts and Jack-o-Lanterns. ModPodge is a wonderful thing!

We hosted a Halloween themed playgroup ourselves, too. We made reflective necklaces to wear on Halloween night while Trick-or-Treating. It was fun, and they turned out really cute.

The Saturday before Halloween we went to Great Grams to help pass out candy for their Trick or Treaters. While we were there, Aunt Joan met Chelsea for the first time.

This past weekend Josh helped to carve his first pumpkin! He normally doesn't like getting dirty, but he thought it was great "helping" to clean out the goo. We collected all of the seeds, and Scott roasted them in the oven. Surprisingly, Josh LOVED them! I'm not sure if he liked them because they were good, or because they came out of his pumpkin. Either way, he enjoyed it!

Last night we went to South Hills Village for the "Mall-o-ween" Trick-or-Treating with MoMo. There were hundreds of kids there. I'm not usually big on crowds, but we had a lot of fun. This was Joshua's first official Trick-or-Treat experience. Last year, he wasn't old enough to eat the candy, so we just took him to the grandparents homes, and that was that. He was a little wary at first, but once he realized what happened when he said "Treats, Please", he was all excited about it... but then again, that might have been the dozen tootsie rolls Scott had fed him. Either way, it was a lot of fun!

Monday October 15, 2007

2007-10-15T11:26:00.000-04:00

Chelsea is officially 1 month old already! I can't believe how quickly time flew by. She's changing so much! I can't believe how much she's growing... now if I could only get her to sleep at night...

We've had a pretty busy week! I took the kids to Trax Farm to take some pictures on the pumpkins. It was so cute! Josh loved seeing the big piles of pumpkins, but wasn't too sure about climbing on them, until I put him on top of a pile! Chelsea slept through most of it, but we still had fun.

Saturday Scott went with us to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum with MoMo. Josh LOVES trains and trolleys! He kept saying "ding ding". While we waited for our friends, Josh played with the Thomas Train Table. Then we took a ride to a pumpkin patch, and then took the pumpkins back into the museum to decorate. It was a lot of fun.

We have a lot going on the next couple of weeks. We have some friends from MoMo coming over this morning to play, then we're going to the park together to meet some other MoMo's. Chelsea has her one month doctor appointment tomorrow morning, and Scott is taking the day off - maybe we'll do something fun afterwards! We're going to (and hosting) a bunch of Halloween themed playgroups, tummy time groups for Chelsea, and story times at the library. Never a dull moment around here!

Sunday October 7, 2007

2007-10-07T11:12:00.000-04:00

Go Steelers!!!

October 5, 2007

2007-10-05T13:46:00.001-04:00

We went to Triple B Farms yesterday! They have their fall festival running now, and they are all decked out in Halloween decorations. They have an entire field set up as Pumpkinland - they have Halloween costumes posed, with Pumpkin heads... TOO cute! There was a petting zoo, haunted house, play areas with a tractor to climb on & HUGE slides, and a mini corn maze.

Josh really seemed to enjoy himself. He even lead us through the corn maze. Something we didn't realize, is his love for pumpkins. He picked out two small pumpkins, and has been carrying them around since we got home last night. We had to stop him from taking them to bed with him last night. He even had to hold them in the car this morning while we were out.

We had a really good time there. It was during the week, so it wasn't crowded at all. The weather was beautiful, too. We're talking about going back for the Strawberry Festival in the spring.

********

Chelsea is growing like a weed! She's developing her own personality, and she will definitely let you know what she does and doesn't like! We're still adjusting to having her here, but things are getting a little easier.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

2007-10-01T14:41:00.000-04:00

We took Chelsea on her first trip to the zoo today! She slept through most of it, but that's alright! We had a good time, anyway. We got to see the two new baby giraffes, and Joshua learned some new words. "Ostrich" seems to be his favorite at the moment.

We have a lot of plans for the next month. There are a lot of fun events, and Halloween themed playgroups on our calendar. I'm thinking of taking them to a pumpkin patch, but I'm not sure which one to go to, yet. I think Joshua will have fun.

September 27, 2007

2007-09-27T13:16:00.000-04:00

Chelsea is now 2 weeks old! The time has just FLOWN by. We're all getting used to each other, and getting into a daily routine. We've had a couple bad nights, but I figured out if I keep her awake for about 2 hours after 7:30 or 8pm, she'll sleep better.

We're dealing with some jealousy issues with Joshua, but he seems to understand she's not going away now. He started hitting me and Scott, and this week he started biting me. It's super obvious he only does it when he wants attention, so I've been trying to have some extra "Mommy & Joshua Time" while Chelsea is sleeping.

At 10 days old, Chelsea hosted her first playgroup! We met some friends from MoMo at a playground near here. She slept through 90% of it, but that's ok! This week we also went to a couple other playgroups, and a Breastfeeding support group, as well. I have a lot of other things planned the next couple of weeks as well.

I've been really overwhelmed with taking care of both of them. I had some practice while I was babysitting my niece and nephew, but they always went HOME! I've found a couple things to help keep my sanity. The biggest thing is taking them to playgroups. Even though it's a bigger pain to haul two kids around compared to one, I found that once I get to where we're going, there are a bunch of other moms who are more than willing to hold Chelsea or chase Josh or basically just help out. They are a God-send... and they understand!

Our first week home, I had 4 moms from MoMo bring us dinners. With all the left overs, we haven't had to cook much at all. It was great! Steve and Patti still bring dinner over once a week, too. My mom is bringing a couple meals over once we're out of leftovers. I can realy get used to this!

We have taken a lot of pictures the last couple weeks (go figure!). Be sure to check out September's Photo Album.

September 12, 2007

2007-09-15T13:41:00.000-04:00

Introducing:

Chelsea Janelle Rattay
September 12, 2007 - 7:01 pm
6lbs 6oz - 20 1/4"

Sept. 11, 2007 - 1 Day Late and Counting...

2007-09-11T18:59:00.000-04:00

I had my 40 wk appointment this morning... I'm dealing with a conflict
between 2 doctors at my practice. One wants to induce me, one doesn't.
*grumble*

The doctor I saw today (Dr. S) doesn't want to induce me. The doctor I
saw last week (Dr. N) does. Dr S said she would "try" and get me an
induction appointment for Friday if Dr. N is on call then. Fortunately,
Dr. N is the doctor on call Friday... so that's awesome!

If they can't get me in Friday for some reason, I have an appointment
for Tuesday for an OB & non stress test.

I'm waiting on a call from the office to see what they could do...

Sept. 4 - Ultrasound Update

2007-09-05T10:48:00.000-04:00

The ultrasound went well. Everything is fine... heart rate is normal, fluid levels are normal... all is good. Doctor was pleased with the results. They are guessing she is going to be about
7lbs 9oz... but that is a guess, and they can be +/- a pound, so it really doesn't really tell me anything! The Ultrasound Tech did tell me she has a full head of hair, though!

I'm still 2 cm dilated, but she has dropped a bit since last week, so that's a step in the right direction. She couldn't make a prediction of when it will happen... just that I wasn't in labor at THAT MOMENT... but that doesn't mean it won't happen tonight - or next week. They aren't going to let me go as long as they did with Josh. If she doesn't come on her own, they'll induce me as early as the 14th. When I go next week, we're going to finalize all that. She didn't think it would come to that point though.

It's just a waiting game at this point...

August 27 - September 2

2007-09-02T19:05:00.000-04:00

Well, we're down to one more week until Lil'Girl is due. It's amazing how quickly the time has gone.

My OB appointment for the week went well. I'm 2 cm dilated, and I lost 2 lbs... but that was because I was so sick. That happens when you can't eat, I guess. My next appointment is on Tuesday. I have an ultrasound scheduled right before hand, as well. With the problems I had with Joshua and low fluid levels and his heart rate, they are being pro-active, and checking on her a week early. If there are any issues, I will most likely be induced Tuesday afternoon/evening.

This morning we found a new park near our house! Joshua had a lot of fun, and it is perfect for a play group! I think the first group I host after the baby is born will be a Saturday morning play group at this park. It is 99% contained, and has sections for toddlers, as well as older kids. And lots of spots to sit for tired Mommies!

Hopefully our next post will be about Lil'Girl being here... everyone cross your fingers!

August 20 - 26

2007-08-27T08:59:00.000-04:00

Little Baby Girl is due two weeks from today. My OB appointment went well... I'm progressing normally.

This last week hasn't been fun AT ALL. On Wednesday morning, Josh came down with some kind of stomach bug. Diarrhea and vomiting. How do you explain that to a 19 month old? I felt so horrible for him... he didn't understand what throwing up was, and why he felt so lousy... Thankfully it was over in about 2 days.

Friday Scott came home from work a couple hours early, because he didn't "feel right". Thirty seconds after he got home, HE was in the bathroom with the same thing Josh had. He finally started to feel better around midnight. Then I woke up at 2am with the same thing. It hasn't been a fun week.

As of this morning, all 3 of us seem to be better... lets hope this bug has totally passed!

August 6 - 19

2007-08-23T09:22:00.000-04:00

I haven't had a lot of time to post... between making sure everything is ready for the baby, and chasing Joshua around... I'm lucky if I get to sit down, lately!

I've been trying to get Joshua out to at least a play date a couple times a week, and a playgroup every once in awhile. I haven't been up to our two mile walk - and at 9 months pregnant, who can blame me?

I'm doing weekly OB appointments at this point. Everything is progressing well. I'm down 40 lbs at this point, which is a good thing, since I didn't lose much of the weight I gained when pregnant with Joshua.

There are a couple pictures for August in the slide show on the right...
I'll probably update next week, if I can.

July 30 - August 5

2007-08-07T16:23:00.000-04:00

FIVE WEEKS and counting! This pregnancy has absolutely flown by! I can't believe it's almost done... Of course at this point, I'm ready to be done!

*Scott went out of town on another business trip on Monday. This time was Columbus, OH and Chicago. He was only gone until Wednesday night, so it wasn't as bad as last time.
*Joshua and I tried to stay busy while Scott was gone, but with the heat, it was difficult. We spent some time at the mall, and eating Rita's Ice.
*Wednesday we went to the last story time of this session at Mt. Lebanon Library. It starts back up in September, but I'm afraid I won't be able to take him. Scott is taking a couple weeks off when the baby is born, so maybe he'll be able to take him once or twice.
*Thursday night Steve & Patti came over with dinner, and were talking about the weekend, and how they were planning on going to camp. Scott decided at that moment, that maybe we should go back up just one more time. Talk about last minute! After I picked my jaw up off the floor, we made some quick plans, and got everything situated. After Josh went to bed, I started packing up some odds and ends, and Scott thew some laundry in the wash. Somehow we got it all together!
*Friday night we went to camp! We had a great time. The weather was pretty warm, and we went swimming in the river, and took a canoe ride over to the island. Josh wasn't thrilled with being in the water, but loved throwing rocks and watching the splash. We headed home on Sunday at nap time, and Josh was so worn out, he fell asleep before we even turned off the private road. (About a 3 minute drive!) I swear this time was the LAST time we'll be up at camp before the baby comes!

July 16 - July 29

2007-07-30T23:17:00.000-04:00

It's been a hectic couple of weeks around here!
*We've been getting the baby's room together! It's almost done. We're hoping to finish it up this weekend.
*Scott was in New Jersey on business from the 16th to the 19th. Ironically he was staying about a half hour from where we used to live! Josh and I spent a lot of time with our Playgroup friends while he was gone... trying to make the time pass quickly. We had Jill & Ella over for dinner one night, and met a few other moms at the mall another night. Keeping busy seemed to help a lot.
*We had the Rattay family picnic the following weekend.
*I had an OB appointment on the 24th. (All is well, as long as I take it easy.) Scott took the day off, and took Joshua to a playgroup in South Park. They went to the Game Preserve and fed the ducks. Josh showed his Daddy the ropes of participating in a playgroup. The Moms told me it was cute!
*We did a couple of story times, and walks in the park, and other groups as well. It's always best to keep Josh occupied!
*We went to camp over the weekend... had a great time. It will probably be the last trip of the year for us. I'm not comfortable being so far away from Magee Hospital at this point, and then I'm not sure I'll want to take a newborn up in the fall...but you never know! There's always next summer!

July 2 - July 15

2007-07-16T05:47:00.000-04:00

We've had a busy couple of weeks, and I haven't been able to update until now. We've been getting ready for the new baby (only 8 wks to go at this point!), and trying to keep cool in the summer heat. Thank goodness for central air!

* Last Monday we went to the PA Trolley Museum with our playgroup. Joshua LOVED it! They let the kids crawl over all sorts of trolleys, and then we wrapped up the tour with a 20 minute ride on one. The whole time Joshua kept saying "ding ding". The conductor let the kids ding the bell, and they all seemed to have a great time.
*We went to the South Park Game preserve again with our friends Jill & Ella to feed the ducks last Tuesday. We were able to see the buffalo on the hill this time. Josh liked the ducks much better though.
*Wednesday was the 4th of July! We went to the Brentwood Parade. Josh loved chasing the candy that was thrown from the parade participants. He had his first taste of Tootsie Roll, and had a lollipop too. We weren't sure how Josh would do with all the noise, and having to sit there for two hours, but he really seemed to enjoy it! I think it's the first parade I've ever been to that I haven't actually been IN, so it was a new experience for me, too. It was a lot of fun.
*This Monday we did our usual walk in South Park, and after nap time we went to a playgroup in the afternoon.
*Tuesday I had an OB appointment. Things are still on track at this point. I've been having contractions for the past 2 months, but they don't seem too concerned, as long as they aren't timable. I still haven't gained any weight, either. I'm down about 45 lbs right now. Although, I think when I go back next week they're going to tell me I've gained a couple pounds - I'm feeling extra huge right now.
*Wednesday we did our favorite story time at Mt. Lebanon Library again. Josh will be too old for it pretty soon, so I'm hoping that the one for the next age group is as much fun for him as this one is.
*Saturday we went to the zoo! (Yes, again!) I'm loving this membership pass! I've taken Josh at least 3 times myself, and Scott has come with us an additional 2 or 3 times... The membership is going to pay for itself by the end of August at this rate... and it's good until March! We're definitely getting our moneys worth!
*Sunday we went to Trader Jacks, and Yu's International Buffet for supper. Scott tried fried frogs legs. He liked them. A lot. I almost puked. It was interesting hehe.

Scott left town for New Jersey this morning. (Ironically he'll be staying about 30 minutes from where we used to live.) He has meetings with some big shots from corporate this week. He'll be home Thursday night sometime. Then he leaves town again for Columbus, Oh and then Chicago the following week. It makes me a little nervous with the baby coming so soon - and my having contractions. Hopefully this will be the last of the trips for awhile!

June 25 - July 1

2007-07-02T14:16:00.000-04:00

This week was pretty typical of the rest of this summer. BUSY! Joshua loves being outside, and we've been trying to get him out as much as possible.

*Monday we did our usual walk, and then met up with some other members of our playgroup at the Children's Playground. One of the moms is a photographer, and she's doing some professional shots of Josh for me. Just wait until you see them!
*Tuesday I had an OB appointment. I've only got 10 weeks to go (give or take).
*Wednesday our favorite story time started its next session. It was cute when Josh realized where we were... he said "Ooooohh!" really loudly... in a library, mind you! Thankfully the librarians understand those kinds of things. Hehe
* Sunday morning we went to the zoo, again. (Gotta love the membership passes!) We've found if you get there when the gates open at 9 AM, you'll have a much better time, than if you get there in the middle of the day! There were MAYBE 50 cars in the lot, so we had a great parking place. By the time we got the stroller and everything out of the van, and got to the gates, most of the people had gone through already. We were able to walk leisurely through, without having a ton of people crowding us out of the viewing areas. Most of the animals were up and moving around, too. I guess afternoon heat tires them out.
We were also able to let Joshua walk A LOT on his own. We were only 1 family of maybe 3 or 4 in the Kids Kingdom play area, so Joshua was actually able to use the big slide (although he wasn't too impressed.) Once we made it through, past the kangaroos, we went into the playground behind the snack booths, and he was the only one playing there, and I was able to get some great pictures hehe.

June 18 - 24

2007-06-24T12:41:00.000-04:00

Another busy week here in the Rattay Household!

* I went and got my hair cut on Monday. My sister took Joshua for a couple hours, and I was actually able to get some things done.
* We went to a playgroup on Tuesday about Seashells! Joshua was amazed by the shells, it was really cute!
* On Wednesday we did our weekly walk, and then we went up to the Game Preserve with some of our friends. The kids had a great time throwing bread and cheerios for the ducks. It was nice to sit there and just watch them, too.
*Thursday after Gregg and Elli went home - and after dinner, we went to an evening playgroup. The theme tonight was Chocolate Covered Strawberries! Now, it's one of MY favorites, so I was a little biased when I signed up *grin*. Joshua on the other hand has had allergy issues with strawberries, so I was a little leery about letting him eat them. We did a skin test (rubbed a cut strawberry on his arm) and there was no rash after about 15 or 20 minutes. I let him eat one at that point, and my "fruit & veggie hating" little man couldn't get enough.
By the end of the night, he had eaten four HUGE strawberries, with no ill effects. SO! Either he's grown out of his allergy (which is pretty common from what I understand) OR he is allergic to a preservative or dye that was in the frozen strawberries we had given him before.
* Saturday Scott went in to work for a couple hours, and Joshua & I drove ALL the way to Scenery Hill in Washington County, for a "Bug Hunt" playgroup I was co-hosting. (It is absolutely beautiful out there by-the-way) We made little baskets out of paper bags and decorated them with bug stickers and markers, to collect the bugs in. It was a lot of fun. Joshua played with his bugs all afternoon and evening.
After we got home Saturday, Scott & Eric (Joshua's Godfather) worked on the fence for a couple hours.
* Sunday morning (after playing with the bugs some more!) we hosted a playgroup at the Southside Works Town Square fountain, again. We had a lot of fun, as usual. On our walk back to the van, we saw Cousins Kim & Brooklynn riding their bikes.

June 11 - June 17

2007-06-18T07:51:00.000-04:00

We had another fun filled week!
* The highlight of the week was on Tuesday. We had lunch with Laurel & Eva, and Jill & Ella. I had arranged a tour of Mt. Lebanon Fire Department for our Playgroup for afterwards. There were 17 moms that showed up with their kids. I was pretty excited at the turnout. It was a pretty emotional visit for me, but everyone had such a wonderful time! The firefighters were wonderful with the kids! They let them sit in one of the trucks, and also let them climb around on the safer areas of one, as well. Every kid received a sticker badge, and a plastic Fire Fighter Hat. Joshua said hat for the first time when they gave his hat. It was precious.
* Wednesday was pretty busy as well. We went to South Park, and played with some of our Playgroup friends, and took a nice long walk. We went home, ate lunch, took a nap, and then went to a Playgroup in Mt. Lebanon. We made sugared edible flowers - didn't have the guts to eat any though *grin*. Shortly after we got home, Scott's parents came over with dinner.
* Most of the day Saturday, we were outside in the yard. I tried to relax a bit, and Joshua helped Scott work on the fence. It's probably about 80% done at this point. I'm getting pretty excited. It looks great!
* Sunday was Father's Day! We made a run to Trader Jacks, but didn't find anything good this time. We took dinner over to Scott's parents, and helped them put together a shed. We pitched in on it as a gift for Steve.

June 4 - June 10

2007-06-11T08:29:00.000-04:00

We had such a busy week! Everyday we were doing something big!
* Scott is still working on fencing in the back yard. It's a slow process when you do it by yourself, but he's really coming along with it. It looks nice, too. We're also working on tearing out some bushes and weeds. The yard is finally becoming what we want it to be!
*My clematis vines are blooming beautifully! I was really surprised, considering they were transplanted from Scott's mom's house last spring. I really didn't think they would take so quickly!
* Joshua and I did a lot with our playgroup this week, too! We did our weekly walk in South Park, and went to 2 playgroups. At one we made paper bag puppets, and the other we used sponges to paint. MESSY!! But lots of fun. We took Elli with us to the puppet playgroup, and she did so great! I think she loved watching the kids running around.
* Our bird feeders are getting a HUGE workout now that the birds know they are there! We have morning doves, grackles, chickadees, cardinals, and a woodpecker. The feeders are positioned so we can see them all from the living room window. One is almost up against the glass, and the cats LOVE that one. Once the birds figured out the cats can't get to them through the window, they started using it a little more often.
* On Saturday morning we went down to the South Side fountains again. This time we hosted a playgroup there. About 10 moms showed up with their kids, and we all had a great time. Afterwards, Scott and I took Joshua to the Pretzel Shop for lunch, and walked down Carson to the 18th Street entrance to the River Walk Park. (That is where we parked.) It was a nice few hours.
* Of course we watched Elli and Gregg this week as well. Busy busy busy!

May 28 - June 3

2007-06-03T20:14:00.000-04:00

This week was HOT! Thank goodness for air conditioning!
*We went to South Park for our walk with our playgroup.
*Joshua and I went to the mall with my friend Laurel and her daughter Eva, and then met some members of our playgroup at Sarris for ice cream.
*Since the weather is warmer, we've been pulling out the Turtle pool - Joshua loves to splash.
*Saturday morning we went to the South Side River Walk, and walked up to the fountains at the South Side Works Town Square. We met some of our playgroup there for a story time, and WTAE news was there filming Sally Wiggin reading. I think we might be on the news, but I don't know when... I'm setting the DVR just in case!
*Sunday morning was reserved for Trader Jacks Flea Market! I got a bunch of baby clothes for Lil'Girl and a new Boppy pillow for her, too. ALL for $10, thank you very much! The Boppy itself is around $30 in the stores.

Memorial Day Weekend

2007-05-30T18:55:00.000-04:00

We went to camp for the long weekend! First time this year... it was good to get out of the city for a couple days. I was also excited about how Joshua would react to being there. I was really hoping he'd have fun. I'm sure he doesn't remember being there last summer.

Josh was really excited about throwing rocks in the river, and spashing around. We spent all morning down at the river on Saturday. After lunch and his nap, he wanted to go right back down! Sunday was pretty much the same thing... playing in the river. Grandma went shopping the weekend before, and picked up a bunch of outside toys to play with, too... A car to ride in, a fishing pole with magnetic fish... Joshua didn't know what to play with first!

It was a nice and relaxing weekend. I can't wait until we can go back up again.

Year To Date

2007-05-30T18:05:00.000-04:00

May
*Warm weather! We took a walk on the South Side River Walk. We stopped at the Pretzel Shop and got some pretzel sandwiches, and ate them on the river bank first. It was a nice time. We walked from 18th St. down to 27th St. We let Joshua play in the water fountain outside of The Cheesecake Factory, in his diaper. He didn't like getting squirted much, but he loved the puddles! We found a giant Chess Game, too. The pieces were bigger than Joshua!
*With warm weather, comes the washing of cars in the driveway! Joshua thought it was more fun to splash in the bucket, than actually doing any washing!
*We dug out the Turtle pool! Joshua seems to like splashing alot. That will make for a fun summer!
*Mother's Day was quite busy! Hunter and Jacob both had First Communion Parties! At Hunter's, Joshua discovered digging in the dirt... it's a good thing we brought extra clothing! At Jacob's Joshua ran around chasing the other kids, and played with Jacob's trucks.
*I started hosting a weekly walk in South Park for our playgroup. We meet at the Children's Playground and play until all the moms get there, then walk 2 miles on the trails. It's a nice way to spend a couple hours in the morning.
*We went to the zoo, with our playgroup. It was warm, and sunny, and we had a great time! Joshua loved the aquarium again. He can say "fish" now. I'm thinking about getting him a fish bowl - but haven't figured out where to keep it safe from the cats!

April
*We celebrated Julia's birthday a few days late! It was fun to watch Joshua interacting with Elliana.
*Sitting on the Easter Bunny's lap didn't go as well as it did last year... The poor kid was traumatized!
*We went to Trax Farm for an Easter Egg Hunt with our playgroup - it was a bit cold (snow in April should be outlawed!).
*Easter morning was just like Christmas all over again! The Easter Bunny went a little overboard this year! We spent the day at Grandma and Grandpap's and then at Nana's. The Bunny left baskets at their houses, too!
*I had my first ultrasound... and Joshua is having a little SISTER in September! We're thrilled to have one of each, now!
*We went to Brooklynn's birthday.
*I had a birthday... but we won't talk about that.
*Scott and I took Joshua to South Park. The weather is finally warming up! Joshua LOVES the playground equipment! He's figuring out how to go down the slide on his own.
*I'm now watching Gregg AND Elli on Thursdays and Fridays... it's a bit hectic around here those days!

March
*The weather is starting to warm up, and we've actually been able to play outside a little bit!
*Julia and Derek welcomed their bundle of joy into the world on March 11. Elliana Hope Butterfield.
*We went to the zoo with our playgroup, and saw a presentation on penguins! They even let us pet one. I think I was more excited about it than Joshua was! He really liked the aquarium, though. He was mesmerized by all of the fish.
*Joshua and I went to the Aviary this month with our playgroup. Joshua REALLY loved the birds. It was a really nice afternoon!

February
*Joshua played in the snow for the first time!
*Julia had her baby shower for Elliana.
*We went to Ashtyn's 5th Birthday Party.
*Joshua and I joined a playgroup! It's called Modern Moms Pittsburgh. We go to play areas at local malls, playgroups at other members homes, and fun places like that. There is a lot planned for the coming months. We're excited to meet some other moms and kids from around Pittsburgh!

January
*We spent a lot of time recuperating from Joshua's First Christmas.
*I really wasn't feeling "right" this month. After a trip to the doctor, we found out why.... We'll be having another baby in September! The official due date is the 10th, but we all know how accurate THOSE are!
*Joshua's First Birthday was the 21st. We had a party at Grandma and Grandpaps house. A lot of family and friends came, and we had a good time. I made Joshua's "Smash cake" - it was Elmo!