September's Random Ramblings

ABIGAIL

• Abby wants to name her brother Michael Jackson.  Don't worry, its not really on our list!
• For the week before we went to New York Abby kept explaining to Olivia that we were going to meet her "new Grandma and Grandpa" referring to my grandparents.  I guess they were "new" because they hadn't really met them before.
• Andrew ran his first marathon this month (AWESOME, and more to come on that in a later post). He was training hard and running lots of miles.  One day he came home from one of his long runs and Abby started quizzing him about the race, asking him how come he had to run so much and how long was the race.  He told her it was 26.2 miles to which she replied, well that isn't really that long!  If she only knew!!!!

OLIVIA

• Olivia calls Winne the Pooh, poo-poo bear.
• The Ohio State mascot is called Brutus and Olivia always thought he was funny.  One day Andrew was with us when we spotted an inflatable Brutus and Olivia was laughing and pointing to him saying "funny guy."  Andrew told her that he was Brutus and he was yucky (Ohio State and University of Wisconsin are big rivals).  Now, when ever she sees him she says, "Brubus, YUCK!!"
• One morning as I was getting dressed Olivia handed me my bra and said, "Mommy put on your boobies!"
• I was getting Olivia ready for bed, putting on her jammies.  Grammy Susan walked in and Olivia screamed "Grammy, I naked.  These are my boobies!!!"
• Andrew was singing in the car and as I have said before Olivia doesn't like my singing so she said, "Mommy no sing"  I told her it was Daddy singing and she said, "ok".

Abigail's Birthday Party

Abigail's birthday celebration did not end on her birthday, the weekend after we had a birthday party for her.  We invited some of her new friends and did a sort of carnival themed party.  The party was centered around the bouncy house she got for her birthday and then we had some other games, lots of food, and the kids got to decorate their own cupcakes.  It was a success if I do say so myself!!!  Abby had a blast and continued to thank me and Andrew for days following the party!

Helping me bake birthday cupcakes!

Pin the tale on the donkey

Abby helping Olivia, so sweet!

Sack races

Having fun in the bouncy house!!!

The birthday girl getting ready to open presents.

My beautiful 5 year old!!!

Olivia enjoying her cupcake.

Abby's Birthday

Abby's actual birthday was fairly low-key since we had been celebrating with my Dad the weekend before and we were gearing up for her party the following weekend.  Abby wanted to do some last minute Birthday party shopping at the party store so we went and finished up the shopping and got her a pinata, then we met Daddy at Chick-fil-a for lunch and a very extended playtime.  We went home to rest up and wait for Daddy to get done with work, then we opened presents, went out for dinner, and came home for birthday cake and singing!  It was a fun day and I still can't believe my baby is 5!!!

The birthday girl and Olivia!

This was Abby's present.  It is a jumpy castle complete with slide!  They LOVE it, and its great because we can set it up in our basement so the girls can burn off some energy this winter when its too cold to go outside!

Abby picked a local Mexican restaurant for dinner.

Me and my birthday girl!

Daddy and Olivia at dinner

The big blue sombrero is the reason Abby picked this particular restaurant!!!

Olivia wanted to give it a try too!

Daddy and the birthday girl.

The girls decorating the birthday cake.

Happy Birthday sweet Abigail!!!

First Day of Pre-K

Since the cut-off for kindergarten is Sept.1 here in Ohio, Andrew and I spent weeks agonizing on whether or not to send Abigail to kindergarten this year or to have her do a year of pre-k.  After talking with lots of the moms that live in the area and finding out that it is the "norm" to hold back the kids with summer birthdays, talking to the teachers who confirmed what the moms were saying, realizing that if Abby went to kindergarten this year she would be leaving for college at 17,  and knowing that she is already growing up too fast and having her gone only 3 days a week as opposed to 5 one last year is a good thing, we decided to have her do a year of pre-k.  I am very happy with our decision!  Abby has been in school for about 2 weeks now and she is loving it.  She is in a 5/6 year old class which is made up of all the kids that technically qualified for kindergarten but decided to hold off for a year.  She loves her teachers and she is making new friends.  Its hard to believe that this is Abigail's 3rd year of preschool and she is attending her 3rd school, in her 3rd state.  I think this year will be beneficial for both of us and I am going to cherish the moments that we are able to spend together.  It won't be long before school is taking up the majority of her time, for now we are going to enjoy our days off together exploring our new surroundings and making memories!

My big girl on her first day of pre-k.

It was impossible to get a picture of the girls together where they were both looking at the camera.  This was the best I could get!

Sitting outside of the school

Boonshoft Museum of Discovery

Boonshoft Museum of Discovery is the local children's museum in the area.  After hearing some great things about it and then finding out it was free for military until Labor Day, I decided we needed to check it out.  We went with 2 other moms and their kids and we all had a great time.  The girls loved the museum and there was a lot for them to do there.  It is definitely a place I want to get a membership to so that we can go for a few hours and play.  

The girls in the dance room.  They LOVED seeing themselves on the screen dancing!

Water play....always a favorite!

What should I do next??

"Let me outta here!!!"

Sweet Corn Festival

A couple of weeks ago we took the girls to the sweet corn festival.  It was a fun little festival with lots of vendors selling homemade goods, food booths, and a kids area.  Even though we ate before we went, we had to try some corn and it was delicious!

Andrew double-fisting the corn!

Yum!

Abby loved the pony rides!

Olivia was a bit apprehensive at first, but when the ponies started to move she decided she liked it.

Matching "tattoo's"

Riding the train

The girls rode the train while Andrew was waiting in line for the corn.  I was a bit surprised because the train took off and went all around the festival.  I didn't know if I should follow it along since Olivia was riding by herself or just wait for their return.  I decided to wait for them mostly because I had so much stuff I would have had to trudge along with me.  Olivia did really good and was all smiles when the train pulled up!

Homemade Pizza

Abby has been doing a lot of cooking lately.  One night she wanted to make homemade pizzas.  We got some fresh wheat dough from Trader Joes and Abby assembled all the toppings.  They turned out really yummy, but I guess from the look of things Abby wasn't too fond of the crust!

Happy 5th Birthday Abigail

My Dearest Abigail,

Wow, I cannot even believe you are 5 years old, it just sounds so old, so grown-up.  I don't know why I am surprised though, because you are a big girl.  Truly no longer a little kid.  This past year I have watched you grow and become a little lady.  I am constantly amazed by your resilience and your ability to make the most of hard situations, especailly when it comes to moving.  We have uprooted numerous times in short life and you take it with a grain of salt and you are always looking forward to your next adventure.  You are such an outgoing, friendly, polite little girl and I am sure that has helped you tremendously when it comes to making new friends where ever you go!  You have no problem walking right up to another little kid, boy or girl, younger or older and asking them if they want to be your friend.  You are forever making "at the moment" friends at the playground, the store, and almost anywhere else we go.  You jumped right into your new school with anticipation and excitement and are already making friends there as well.  The best thing about it all is, you always include your sister.  You never leave her out or tell her she is too little to play with you.  The relationship that has developed between you and Olivia is among the most fascinating and satisfying things I have ever been witness to.  The pure, unconditional love that you guys show for each other warms my soul and makes my heart smile.  That is not to say you two don't have your moments, but even when you guys are mad or yelling at each other, or pushing one another's buttons it doesn't last long and always ends in laughter or a hug.  I believe your personality makes you a perfect oldest child.  You are so nurturing, caring, forgiving, sensitive, and sweet and you know how to handle your sister when she is in a mood.  I am sure you will be wonderful with your brother as well, and I can't wait to see that relationship form and grow.

You have recently found a passion for cooking.  You have always enjoyed it, but in recent months your abilities and your zest for cooking/baking has grown ten-fold.  You are always looking to help in the kitchen and you are getting very good at it.  It makes me happy that you have a natural ability when it comes to cooking and that you find so much enjoyment in it.  You love going to the store to help pick out the ingredients, you love preparing food and aren't afraid to get your hands dirty!  You get a lot of enjoyment out of sharing your meals with the people you love and I always see a proud smile on your face when we tell you how yummy everything is.  Even when you aren't cooking, you are asking to watch cooking shows instead of cartoons!  I only wish that your enthusiasm with cooking would lead you to be more adventurous with your actual eating.  You are still fairly picky, but slowly it is getting better.

You are such an amazing little girl, Abigail.  You bring joy and happiness into the lives of everyone you meet.  You have taught me more about life than I ever dreamt possible and you've shown me that being a Mommy is the most important and rewarding thing I will ever do!

Happy Birthday Abigail, I love you!
All the love in my heart,
Mommy

The Greene--with the frog

The girls and I went to The Greene one afternoon for lunch and a little shopping followed by cooling off at the splash park.  We were pleasantly surprised that we happened to be there at the same time as the frog.  He plays in the splash park with the kids throwing balls and just being goofy.  The girls thought it was hilarious and Abby really liked him, of course Olivia only liked him from a distance and would cry if he tried to get too close. 

A visit from cousin Tyler

 A couple of weekends ago we had a house full of visitors; Josh, Laura, Tyler, Grammy Susan, and Grampa Pete.  The main reason for the visit was for Andrew and Josh to do their 18 mile training run for the AF Marathon they are running in Sept.  They asked Peter to come out and ride his bike alongside of them with a backpack full of water, Gatorade, gu, and bananas, and he agreed!  So anyway, we were able to enjoy some time with family.  The girls were over the moon about Tyler which I think overwhelmed him a little bit.  They were very sweet and showed him all of their favorite toys.  I think Susan was in Grammy heaven having both of her sons and all of her grandchildren under one roof, and even though Josh and Andrew were tired, they were thankful for Peter's help.

Olivia and Tyler enjoying a snack on the kitchen floor.

When the boys were done with their run on Saturday we had to go pick up Andrew's car from a little town called Yellow Springs.  It is a very cute, eclectic, little town with lots of little shops and cool restaurants.  We decided to have lunch at The Clifton Mill, which is one of the largest water powered mills still in existence.  The restaurant was cute and the surroundings were beautiful!

Josh and Tyler

Grammy and the girls checking out some of the old buildings on the property.

Family picture

Laura, Tyler and Josh

All of Grammy and Grampa's kids and grand kids.

Abby and her Grampa....she was attached to his hip the whole time he was here.

Abby and Peter cooking dinner.  Abby has really been into cooking lately and wanting to cook and help in the kitchen whenever possible.  Its always a treat when Grampa Pete comes to visit because they get to cook together.  That night they made some delicious chicken stuffed with cheese and prosciutto, fruit salad (Abby's request), risotto, and roasted broccoli. YUMMY!!!!

Grammy and Grampa with the girls at The Greene