Funny Girls

Things that are cracking me up right now:

1. Abby having a crush on a boy in her class and her teacher saying "he doesn't even seem to know" (funny).
2. Abby getting in trouble for kissing said boy (not funny)
3. Emmy threatening to pee on the living room rug when she gets REALLY mad. Thank goodness she at least warns us ("HMM! I'm go pee on the rug!!").
4. Emmy saying "thanks!" anytime you do ANYTHING for her, even as small as hand turn on the tv or hand her a juice cup

Attached some pics from the annual fall pumpkin patch trip.

First Day of School

What a milestone! Abby started kindergarten at Douglas and she tells us it’s “awesome”. We got the school we wanted AND the teacher we requested wanted, so David and I agree with her description.

Abby was all smiles on the first day, and I only shed a tear or two. I think the person feeling the most emotional over this milestone was David. He called me immediately after I dropped Abby off to see how it went, and then sent the following email from work:

I think I’m a little sad today. Our little girl is growing up and it’s a beginning to the end of innocence for her.

Sweet. (And maybe a tad dramatic, no?). When we ask Abby her favorite part of kindergarten, she said “All of it”.

Emmy also started at St. Andrew’s and I don’t get too many updates from her other than “good.” Her teachers adore her (in fact, her head teacher requested HER – not the other way around!). She is talking up a storm and loves to laugh. Let's hope she and Marshall don't get put in time out again this year.

We had such a great summer, and it appears fall is off to a fantastic start as well. We are a lucky family.

Summer 2010

It’s been a while since we blogged as it’s been a pretty busy summer. We’ve had a lot of fun and some serious excitement (sharks!). I’ve tried to condense 4 or so months into the primary highlights below:

Jill started her own PR consulting company. She’s done great thus far and has gotten her primary client booked on the Today Show 3 TIMES!!

We had a great time at Grandma and Pop’s on 4th of July weekend. Somehow it doesn’t feel like summer until we eat at Basil’s Pizza in Cherry Grove after playing on the beach …

Abby joined the Durant Trails Typhoons, our neighborhood swim team. The first time Abby was called up to participate in a meet, she froze on the block and started crying. But she got over it the next meet and by the end of the season was regularly competing and finished as high as 4th in one “heat”. That’s pretty good considering she had just turned 5 and the team was for 5 and 6 year olds. We can’t believe how much her swimming improved but more importantly, she had a lot of fun.

Jill accidentally locked Emmy in the car with the keys inside. Luckily the car was running with the AC on but still not ideal to see a police car and fire truck in your driveway when coming home from work!

We ended the summer with our annual trip to the beach. The first day Emmy, Abby and Mikey were swimming at the “little beach” as we call it and after we heard another parent scream, saw a shark fin about 10 feet from Abby. We started yelling for the kids to get out and they completely froze. We were able to get them to a sandbar and luckily Aunt Shannon had her camera with her so we got some great photos (below). After some serious pool time in the days following, we made our way back to the beach and had a great week as usual (pics below).

We also had a lot of fun going to BJ and Kim’s lake house, visiting Mamma Jo in Martinsville to help her around the house after foot surgery, and going to the water park in Greensboro with Papa Sonny, Deb and Aunt Kasey (who Abby idolizes by the way). Here’s to a great fall!

Happy Birthday to my big/little girl!

Dear Abby,

You just turned five and you are so excited about it – in fact you are taking real pride in acting like a big girl. Here's an example - for a few months now you have stopped doing carpool, which is something you started back when you were just three! I couldn’t understand why and felt a bit frustrated that you were regressing in this area and making me park the car and escort you into your classroom. One day we got into a little argument about it, and you said “Mommy, I will do carpool again when I turn five.” I said that sounded like a good solution, and we shook hands to cement the deal. Then, last week on your 5th birthday I was tempted to remind you of our agreement as we drove to school but I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt. As we pulled into the parking lot, you said “Mommy, I’m ready to do carpool now. And I’m also not whining at all today because now I’m five now.”

It’s bittersweet to see you acting so grown up. If your dad and I do our job right, then you SHOULD be able to grow up and away from us. But in some ways, I wish you could stay this little forever because I love our nighttime cuddle sessions, daily tickle games, and “mommy and Abby special time.”

The other day you asked me, “Mommy, where do the numbers go in your body?” I didn’t understand the question so I asked you to explain, and you said “You know, like when you turn 4, then 5, then 6. Where do those numbers go?” It was a sweet reminder that you are still our little girl -- even though you’re growing more independent each day. You add so much joy to our family. We love you so much and Emmy, Daddy and I are lucky to have you.

Love,
Mommy

Happy Birthday Abby

Happy Birthday kiddo! Below are a couple of photos from your birthday party. We had “Happy Dan the Magic Man” for entertainment and you and all of your little buddies (and Mommy) were thoroughly entertained.

For your birthday note I thought I would share a funny story of life with you at 5 years old so here goes… Every night you take a pill for mild asthma (zyrtec I believe) and about a week ago you decided to shove it up your nose. That’s right, your nose. Left nostril to be specific. Apparently this runs in the family as Jill shoved a rock in her ear when she was younger. Well you were pretty upset because you assumed we would have to go to the hospital (or “night time doctor” as you call it) to get it out and in your mind, hospital = shot. So Jill and I sat you on the kitchen counter and tried to calm you down to no avail. We told you to start blowing out of your nose as hard as you can and you starting doing just that. After a few minutes went by, we decided to call the Dr. and they said we should absolutely go to the hospital for extraction. Just then, you blew out hard and whoosh – it shot out of your nose like a rocket. We didn’t even see it but heard it hit the floor. Scooter was observing this whole scene and when the pill hit the kitchen floor, he ran over to see what this new object was and I had to basically tackle him to keep him from eating it. At this point it was pretty hard not to laugh. You were somewhere between laughing (relief) and crying (still a bit scared) but your mom and were just laughing. Mommy asked “why did you put that in your nose!?” I didn’t let you answer and responded with “Why did you shove a rock in your ear?” No comment.

Now this sort of thing doesn’t happen every day but certainly keeps us entertained and on our toes. Life is so much fun with you in it and I’m incredibly proud to see how you are learning and growing every day. You truly are an adorable child full of life, happiness and love.

Happy Birthday,
Dad

Spring Fever!

It’s been a few weeks since we posted so I thought I would provide a few updates.

• We’ve got Spring Fever BIG TIME in our house as the weather has finally warmed up after a snowy winter. This includes several trips to the neighbor’s trampoline daily and lots of playing outside

• Jill ran her SECOND half marathon in the last 5 months. VERY impressive! (pics below)

• We made it to Raleigh’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade last weekend and Abby enjoyed seeing the Irish Dancers (pics below)

• Last weekend on the trampoline Abby said she wants to be “a mermaid, then a fairy and then a Musketeer” when she grows up.

• Last week Jill bought Abby her summer bathing suit which she wanted to wear to bed. We made her put it on over her PJs which made for an interesting sight the following morning eating breakfast

• Emmy ate coconut shrimp and shrimp cocktail last week and always steals bites of my lunch and dinner in place of her kid food. I don’t think we have to worry about her being a picky eater!

Happy Birthday Miss Em!

Hey little one,

Sorry this is a bit late, but the month of January has truly been a whirlwind. Your dad beat me in the "birthday blog department" and took all the stuff I wanted to say! So, forgive me if this note is a bit repetitive.

Em, you are truly the sweetest little baby in the world. You are mellow, easy going, and full of love. You get all that from your dad. In terms of looks, people say we are clones. Total strangers laugh when we're out in public and say things to me like "No one will ever mistake you for the babysitter. Your daughter is like your twin!" It's kind of ironic really - Abby looks like your dad but has my personality, and you are the exact opposite.

But the coolest thing of all is how you have perfectly completed our family. You make us laugh every day, and Abby loves you more than anything in this world. She is an awesome big sister, and you girls are so lucky to have each other. And I am aware everyday of the fact that I am one lucky mom.

Thanks for being such a sweet, happy girl. We love you. Happy 2nd birthday (belated!).

xoxo

Mom

Happy 2nd Birthday Em

Well it’s your birthday (ok, shortly after) so I wanted to write a note totally devoted to you. First of all, below are some things you are in to these days:

• Barney - I don’t know how many times you say “iwuntBaaaaaarnie” throughout the day but it is A LOT


• Stuffed animals – Mama Jo gave you a giant bear stuffed animal (that you call a dog) that you insist on sleeping with. Between the two blankets, your bunny, that dog, Cocoa the bear and the Curious George monkey in your crib, sometimes I can’t find you when I come to wake you in the morning!


• Abby – I know we’ve said this before but we feel so lucky that you two get along so well. Nothing makes me feel better than the laughter coming from the other room when I know you two are playing together. And STILL, no one can make you laugh like Abby.


• Singing/Dancing – You love singing along to “You are My Sunshine” and dance any chance you get. It’s pretty funny as your dance is really more of a hop on one foot. We call that the Dykes Shuffle because Abby did the same thing and Papa Sonny said I did that when I was a little one.

You also like jumping in rain puddles, sleeping past 8AM (thank you!), playing with dolls, pushing your toy stroller, grapes, being tickled, hugs and a million other things that make you so fun to be with. I actually thought you were turning 3 this birthday. This is not because I’m a bad father or really bad at math but I just couldn’t believe that you had been in our lives LESS than two years. You’re such a funny, pleasant and HAPPY little girl that it’s hard to imagine that you haven’t been in our lives longer. Happy Birthday little one. We love you lots.

Dad

Emmy's First Time Out

And second... and third.

On the week of Emmy's second birthday, she got her first bad report from school. She and her buddy Marshall were just running wild, causing a raucous in the classroom and not listening to their teachers. Since our sitter Jessica picks the girls up on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I received this information second hand. David and I were both stunned and amused - how could our sweet little Emmy possibly get put into time out THREE TIMES? I emailed her teacher for more info, here is her response:

Hey Jill,

Don't know what was up with Miss Em on Monday either. She was so full of herself. A good full, but a handful nonetheless. Her and Marshall were having a field day running in the classroom and that just can't happen for obvious reasons. I spoke to her about it and she was just in another world. (The Two's World) ha! ha! Understandably so. I think the cold weather has kept our age group inside for such a long time that they are getting restless. Can't say that I blame them. Hopefully, the nicer weather will shine down upon us so we can resume our outside scheduled times. Really and truly though not a huge problem. Just the terrible two's coming out. She accepted her time outs like a big girl and we spoke about running around in class and how they could get hurt. Makes sense to us, but we're not two years old. I am sure she will be fine tomorrow, and if not we will talk about running in class and how we could get hurt and all that good stuff. I think if we keep reminding her that no running is allowed she will be fine. We'll let Jessica know for sure how she was behaving. Please do not worry about this one time. She needs to keep testing the waters to see how far she can go and what she can get away with. Good thing she is so darn cute!!!!
-Miss Pat

Christmas and New Year's '09

To commemorate the 2009 Holiday season, I thought I would write a list of the Top 10 things I enjoyed most during this nice long break in no particular order.

1. Having family and friends over to the house Christmas Eve for a big Italian feast
2. Having Emmy grab “baby Santa” and lay next to him every time we change her diaper. Both hilarious and strange at the same time. (picture below)
3. Spending $30 on a cupcake maker from Santa (for Abby) that generates one cupcake at a time and makes a huge mess of the kitchen and anyone near it in the process (picture below)
4. Going to Mamma Jo’s house in Martinsville and climbing “the mountain” (hill in the woods behind her house) with Abby and Jill. And mostly hearing them both giggle anytime one of us fell in the snowy ice.
5. Playing cornhole in our living room with John and Diane on New Year’s Eve
6. Beating John and Diane in cornhole which included a 5-15 comeback with the next morning’s bagels and coffee on the line
7. Stepping on, tripping over, finding in random places the 200 little plastic balls we bought Emmy for her Elmo gym
8. Going to Uncle Erik’s twice for a much needed break from our house for Christmas dinners
9. Laughing at the fact Mom gave Erik and I size 16 socks and the majority of gifts for Erik were IOU’s (which is good but doesn’t beat her giving him the same VA Tech wristwatch 3 consecutive years in a row!) ha ha
10. Seeing Abby brave record breaking temperatures (28 degrees!) to drive around in her new “car” (picture below)

The holiday break was great and we’re so lucky to have such wonderful family to make it special for the girls. Here’s to a great 2010!!