Merry Christmas!

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

For the Nebraska Fans in the family!

Our littlest Husker fan!

December 5, 2007

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

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

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!!

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

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

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

Go Steelers!!!

October 5, 2007

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

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

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

Introducing:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!