Travelin'

I will use this as my excuse for the lapse in posting. I will keep it short and let the pictures speak for themselves. We really enjoyed our cool spring and are enduring our HOT summer. June was mostly spent away from home and although it made us pretty tired and made my car an absolute wreck, it also helped make the time till Tim's graduation fly...we have only one month to go!

We had a blast celebrating Ellie's birthday with a few local friends and Auntie JuJu who was in town. Ellie was very concerned about having a party and wasn't sure she wanted her friends to come over...I later found out it was because she thought they would eat all the cupcakes and she wouldn't have any. I made two boxes worth for about 10 people, so we were eating cupcakes for weeks! Funny the things a four year old worries about!

Lately our days have been spent staying cool at the spray n' play or pool, eating lots of popscicles and blueberries (we brought 6 pints home from NJ!), anxiously awaiting the weekends when "DeDe" comes home from Quantico, and waiting for our next trip!

Oh, and gymnastics began today! I forogt the camera (oops!) but I promise to take it next week and take a few pictures of our girl in her leotard (black with bright green neon flames!). She had a blast at her first lesson. Her favorites were the trampoline (not suprising) and the pit of foam squares). She did a great job listening to the coach and asked all afternoon if she was going back again tomorrow! I think it was a hit.

Enjoy the new pictures.

I hadn't realized it had been THIS long since an update, but let me assure you we haven't been sitting around here for the last month. Tim is well underway with his training and we should know next week if we are meant to stay in DC or head out on a new adventure. He is doing awesome in school and I think really enjoys it. We have been lucky to have him home the last two weekends which has been awesome. He was also able to download some pictures for me so I actually have some to share. The computer decided to crash two days before Tim left for training, so in the midst of locating a pair of size 13 black wrestling shoes (yep, they were on the list) we had to pick up a new computer. Of course it doesn't take our camera's memory card. So I guess this means I need a new camera - right, the family needs pictures!

Here ya go...we have been having a blast outside and enjoying some walks to the park in our new wagon!

Finally Spring!

We spent the morning at the playground enjoying the sunshine. I think I missed being outside as much as the kids. If you want to know where we will be this afternoon and tomorrow...I'll give you one guess!

Update on Ellie...we saw the neurologist for a follow-up last wednesday. She is doing great and doesn't need another follow up for two years! She wants us to come back half-way through kindergarten to see how she is adjusting to school. She gave us a referral for an occupational therapy evaluation. I am just a bit concerned about her having some issues deciding which hand to use and how she is holding scissors, crayons, etc. Hopefully there isn't a problem and we can just get some exercises/activities to work with her to develop these skills.

Oh, and she is 28 pounds. Ethan is 26 1/2. I give him till his second birthday, then I think he will surpass her in size. And all she wants to do is pick him up!

My BFF

Th other day this sweet little girl informed me that I was her best friend. She also said that "mommies are kids best friends". I am going to enjoy this stage cause I know in a few short years she won't want anyone to think that I am her best friend - ah, the teen years...I am already stressing. I think I'll send her to live with Auntie Janelle then...they'll have fun.

I know I have been neglecting our blog updates lately, but I really feel like I have been neglecting Ellie updates. So here we go, a few things about my best friend...

1. She is obsessed with twins...she constantly wants to match someone in the house...the other night she wouldn't go to sleep until she put her brown sweatshirt over her jammies cause I had my brown sweatshirt on.

2. She is starting to enjoy movies and videos...she still likes her sing-a-long ones best.

3. She is becoming interested in letters..."what does (fill in word of choice here) sound like" - in other words, everytime she thinks of a word, she wants to know what it sounds like. I have never been very good at phonics, so I hope I am not confusing her with my interpretations of the sounds letters make.

4. She is starting to write her name! This is one of the skills that we have been anxiously awaiting since the stroke. I think she is definately going to be a lefty...18 valentines for her classmates...18 letter "e"s written with her left hand.

5. She has been exercising her independence, especially during mealtimes - once a great eater, now she regularly informs us that she "doesn't like that". Ahh...this too shall pass.

6. I visited her class today (which I love to do, wish I could do more, and really enjoy seeing her interacting with her classmates) and when we got home I asked if she liked having mommy in her class today. She told me she was "very happy and proud". She sure knows how to get me! After that one, I would have given her all the cookies and juju snacks she wanted!

Ethan @ 17 Months...

I promise that this will be the last "words" list. All because he learns new ones everyday and I can't keep up.

Dump - as in drop, throw
Sis - as in Ellie
Read
Book
Truck
Trash
Crack - as in cracker, really
Remote - he is a man afterall
Fish
Catch
Pane - Airplane
Cop - Helicopter
Sock
Shoes
Foot
Pass - as in Paci, or pacifier -his favorite "toy"
Dipe - Diaper
Juice
Cup
Milk
Cut - he really likes to cut the play food in the playroom
Up - he screams this when he wants me to pick him up...I usually just look at him till he says "peas". Its really funny...he'll scream up three times then look at me and calmly say "peas"

I am sure there are more, he can repeat almost anything you say at this point.

And he even has some phrases... most begin with "I"
as in "I dump" (pass, truck, etc - as he is throwing thing out of his crib or down the stairs!)
"I sweep"
"I poop" - Tim's favorite by far

He is loving reading lately.
I promise pictures next time (forgot to recharge the camera battery...oops) and I will give an update on Ellie...I think she is being neglected.

Catching Up

Between houseguests, travels, and general holiday craziness, you blog friends have been neglected. I apologize to the eight of you. I know you have been dying for an update - pictures, at least - so here you go...and Happy New Year.