July - October - A summary

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...

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!

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!

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....

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!

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!

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

Happy New Year!

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!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

A Special Phone Call...

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

The Highs & Lows...

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?

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!

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!

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!

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