A White Halloween & Chad's birthday!

Ahhh, the first week of November...another busy time for us.  Halloween, then Chad's birthday, our Anniversary, more birthdays, and then.... BAM!- Thanksgiving hits us before we even know what happened.

We are having some crazy Fall weather here in good ol' Winchester.  3 inches of SNOW two days before Halloween!

Chad didn't want to come out and play in the snow, but the girls decided to throw snowballs at him anyway...

Then Halloween came and the girls could hardly contain their excitement! Hannah was a bit scary....

They had a great time and ended up with 2 buckets full of candy goodness.  It will take them months to eat it....so I'll help them out.

Yesterday was Chad's birthday so the girls and I surprised him with gifts in the morning...and chicken casserole & chocolate cake for dinner.  It was also our friend, Amy's,  birthday yesterday...so she came over for dinner too!

Field Trip & Halloween Parade!

Today was bursting at the seams with activity.  I chaperoned my first Kindergarten field trip to Blandy Farms...an experimental tree farm.  It was cold & breezy...and I was assigned 4 kids to keep track of.  It was a lot of fun, but my head was pounding from the loud bus ride!  Here's Hannah with her friends, Ryan & Brianna.  5 is such a sweet age.  I'm really enjoying this Kindergarten adventure!

After the field trip, Hannah and I went to Sadie's preschool to catch the tail end of her Halloween party and costume parade.  It is neat to watch Sadie finally get to participate in the events that she's watched Hannah do for the past 3 years.  I think her Goldilocks outfit is adorable.  And with the parade, the trunk-or-treat, and Halloween night....we sure are getting our 10$ worth!

Trunk-or-Treat

Today, I took the girls to the 2nd annual MOMS Club trunk-or-treat.  It was sort of a last minute decision, seeing as it was such a rainy & cold day!  I picked up a couple packs of spiderwebs and we decorated the back of the van....as if our van isn't already scary enough!

About half-way there, I realized I'd forgotten to grab their pumpkin buckets...but I didn't have time to turn around to get them.  So I dug up a Subway kids meal bag...and a clear plastic bag that had my new toothbrush/floss in it from my dentist appointment.  Hehehehe :)   They didn't care!

Oh..and Hannah's Snow White wig itches her head, so she's wearing her Rupunzel headband.  She thinks it's cool that she gets to be TWO princesses at the same time!

Fall Happenings

We've been keep busy this Fall!  One of our newest adventures is Girl Scouts.  During the summer, Hannah participated in a "pre-Daisy" 6 week program.  An older Girl Scout (who was running the program as a way to earn a badge for herself) taught the girls what it was like to be a Daisy scout...they sang songs, planted flowers, played games, etc.  Hannah absolutely loved it and decided to continue into a true Daisy troop this Fall.  Another Mom from the group and I volunteered to become co-leaders of the troop.  At first, the other leader and I felt like we were floundering, trying to get the troop off the ground with little guidance from the district coordinators. Lately though, things are falling into place.  We finally have all the girls registered & we're earning our petals.  Hannah has made some new friends and is gaining more confidence.  It's also something special that we can do together.
We've had some nice weather lately, so last week we picked out our pumpkin & the girls drew and helped carved the face.....

Vacay

This week, I took the girls to Virginia Beach for a few days so they could have a little vacay before I had to work again on Friday. It doesn't hurt that my hometown is a vacation destination and that I can stay with my parents for free :)

The whole family went to the Ocean Breeze, which is a water park that I worked at a few summers while home from college. I can not remember the last time I was at a water park with my Mom & sister...and not sure if I have a single memory of seeing my Dad in a body of water. lol He went down the large tube slides with Hannah...they go super fast, and the heavier you are...the faster and crazier you fly down that slide. Well, since Hannah only weighs about 38 pounds or so, she slid daintily down the slide and landed in the pool below without getting wet at all (which is great, because she flips out if even one molecule of the stuff gets on her face). Then Dad came flying down, swerving all crazy from side to side on his tube raft, and proceeded to flip completely upside down once he hit the pool. It was hysterical....I mean, where's the camera when you really need it?! The girls had a blast...it was their favorite part of the trip.

The next day, we went to the Virginia Aquarium....which, I suppose has changed it's name from the "Virginia Marine Science Museum". I think I went there for a class field trip every single year of my childhood. They have made some awesome improvements though, and it's come a long way from the late 80's :) The sharks were awesome, but my fave were the giant sea turtles...they were gorgeous!

Here's one of the girls at Ocean Breeze. I didn't get many pictures from our trip. Sometimes, I just have to enjoy the moment, instead of stressing over getting pictures of everything.

Manic Monday

Is she cute or what?! This past weekend, our favorite dog/house sitter graduated from high school. She will be attending VMI in the Fall, the same school that her older brother just finished last year. Chad has enjoyed helping to prepare Chantal for her 'rat' year. I had absolutely no idea what to get for her gift. When I went off to college, all I wanted were phone cards & a cute comforter! With all the rules at VMI, I wasn't sure what she was allowed to have. So, I bought her some regulation black socks, bandaids (gotta ward off blisters from her boots), and an alarm clock (without a radio). JOY! Her family threw her a great party, complete with a D.J., dance floor, misters (in case anyone got too hot), and gourmet cupcakes.

We have a busy busy week coming up! I work a couple of days this week at Hallmark, and Hannah's dance recital is Friday evening. Chad's parents are coming in town for that & Father's Day....then the girls and I are packing up to head to VA BEACH!!! So, this means that I must clean the house AND pack for myself & 2 kids. (which is enough to make me very crabby with anyone who gets in my way) ;)

Summa Timmme!

Summer has begun! Going to the pool tends to bring out the stark differences in the girls' personalities. Hannah is terrified of the water! She seems to have forgotten how fearless she was last year at Ocean Breeze when she played in the wave pool and went down HUGE water slides.

Sadie, on the other hand, would run and dive into the deep end if I let her. I literally have to hold her back. She's trying to get away from me in the picture above :)

Ah, summer. I had written it off because I was supposed to have foot surgery at the end of this month, which would leave me on crutches for 8 weeks. That changed when Chad lost his job...so I've pushed it off for a while....hopefully next year. With the new prospect of having two usable feet this summer, I'm scrambling to come up with a plan to keep everyone occupied and happy. Hannah's dance recital will be on June 17th. Thank God!...I'm so ready for dance class to be over. I think she is too. She hasn't seemed to enjoy it as much this year, and the pressure is starting to be too much for her. She melted down last week in class. See, it's crunch time before the big show and the teacher wants to make sure the girls have memorized their short dance. Up until this week, she's been standing in the front of the room going through the steps with them...and they all just watch her for the next move. Hannah is one of the few who really knows all the steps by heart. She got upset though, when she accidentally started following some of the other girls who were doing it wrong. It threw her off and she started crying and saying how she "just couldn't remember" ...she said "mommy, I'm here to learn how to dance and I can't remember the steps...that's bad!"

Sigh.....so I know 2 things.

1. NO more dance ....it puts too much pressure on my 5 year old. If one day, she says to me "You know, I'd really like to pursue professional ballet"...then that's fine. But we are done for now. There are not many places around here that focus on dancing for FUN!

2. In my quest for a more nurturing & less competitive and stressful activity for her, I stumbled across the Girl Scouts. She's been in a 6 week "pre-Daisy' program and she absolutely loves it. Looks forward to it every week. She has earned two badges already and will earn her final one on Friday during a little ceremony. She loves it so much, that I have decided to become a troop leader for the Fall. I'm officially registered with the Girl Scouts of America and have my troop number!! :) I have some online training to do over the summer (a friend and I are doing it together) and in the Fall when she starts Kindergarten, she will have her own Daisy troop as well.

Freaky Friday.....and this ain't no movie.

I always wondered what it would be like to trade places with my husband. Not trade bodies or anything...like Freaky Friday, because I actually quite like my own. But I always thought it might be interesting to swap roles. I never thought we'd really get the chance to do it though. True, the circumstances are not ideal....but over the past month that Chad has been unemployed, we've really gotten a good taste of what it's like in the other parent's shoes.
Since I took the job at Hallmark, he's taken on my role as main care-giver during the day. He has taken the girls to play-dates, the park, grocery shopping. He's made lunch & dinner, unloaded the dishwasher, changed diapers, and brushed hair. And in turn, they have made him absolutely insane. lol ..just kidding, but really..he has seen just how challenging and isolating it can feel to be a "stay-at-home-parent". I know he loves his babies and has enjoyed spending all this time with them. I also know it will never be this way again, once he finds a full-time job. So this is GOOD!!

Usually, whenever he talks about how the kids wouldn't listen to him, or Sadie ripped her diaper off and ran around the house naked, or he couldn't talk on the phone because the girls were were having a yelling match.....my reply is "I'm sorry, but WELCOME TO MY WORLD!"

The other day, I was in a rush to get out the door to work and I couldn't find a white shirt to wear to work. The dress code is black pants, white top, and black shoes. So, I literally have 3 white tops that I only wear to work....and when I finally found one, it was a bit wrinkled...so I threw it into the dryer to fluff it out. When I took it out of the dryer 20 minutes later, it was even MORE wrinkled than it was when I put it in. Chad overheard me mumbling about my shirt that looked like I'd slept all night in it, and yelled up the stairs "Ah, the stress of finding wrinkle-free clothing to wear to work...WELCOME TO MY WORLD!!"

I love my life.

My Turtle is Moving On....

A few minutes ago, Chad looked at me and said "just breathe, Sarah"....so that is what I'm doing. Breathing and drinking a Blue Moon.

Today was busy, and I don't think I stopped to breathe at all. My baby had her very last day of preschool...and I have been tearing up all day. I just don't know what happened to the time? God, I'm so thankful I've been able to stay home with her for the first 5 years of her life. Yesterday during our conference, her teacher said "Hannah is doing great, and she is more than ready for Kindergarten" ....you have no idea how much I needed to hear that.

She also told me that Hannah excels in math related activities...like puzzles & counting (which I already knew). She has learned so many sight words and is eager to sound out new words...she wants to read so badly! She also has made great strides when it comes to using her "Big Girl voice"...standing up for herself more often. That is something I worried about because she is very much like her Mommy......quiet & always wanting to please.

Ms. Gretchen gave each of the Moms a little turtle charm, and said "Remember them when they were just turtles".....there was not a dry eye in the room. Then she gave each turtle a small photo album containing pictures of everyone in the class :) We could not have asked for two better teachers this year. Gretchen and Chris genuinely loved all the students and wanted to see them succeed & grow.....and my child is better for it!!

Saying goodbye to Ms Gretchen....

Then, we hit the pool for the "Turtles End-of the Year Pool Party"....Beautiful weather...warm, but a nice cool breeze. Sadie was chillin'....

Zoo Day

I think whoever coined the phrase "Getting there is half the adventure" probably had my family in mind. Going anywhere is usually a production....I have come to accept this. There is the lengthy preparation before we leave the house (showers, potty, clothes, breakfast, packing of ALL the crap we need, etc...). Then, once in the car, there are at least 2 return trips to the house for items we forgot to grab. Finally when the entire house is packed into the car, we pull off....and the bickering between the girls starts. Then they want snacks, water, different movies to watch on their dvd player. They drop a book or toy in the back seat & can NOT live without it, so I find myself contorted in my seat trying to retrieve something that I can't reach.

So by the time we arrived at the zoo, we'd already spent an hour in the car to Vienna, 40 minutes on the Orange train to Metro Center, and 15 minutes on the Red train ......and I felt like I'd accomplished a feat just getting there! Hannah LOVED the train rides, but Sadie was a bit scared. She sat completely still in her stroller, like she was afraid that if she moved she'd fall off the train car.

Once in the zoo, we bought Hannah a map so she could be our guide (a task she took very seriously). She made a short list of the most important animals to see: Giant Panda, Turtles, & the Petting Zoo.

We were able to see a handful of animals, but most were sleeping inside because it was the middle of the day. We walked all the way to the back end of the zoo, only to discover that the petting area was closed. However, there was a lone cow who stood against the fence so the kids could rub her. ....The cleanest and luckiest cow in the world.

The girls also enjoyed playing in the "rain"....these little mist sprinklers that were meant to cool you off, not soak you. Still, my girls were drenched when we left the zoo. They had a blast!! Chad and I made it home, put the girls to bed and rented a movie....but we both passed out before the previews were over :)

Flowers & Fevers

Summer is around the bend, and I am looking forward to positive changes for our family. The girls are enjoying the beautiful weather we've been having this week. We've been heading to the park almost everyday. The Clark County park has an enormous sandbox that I can't seem to keep Sadie out of....and I'm sure the interior of the van will have a thin coating of gritty sand until mid-August.

Poor Hannah woke up this morning with a fever & sore throat....I'm thinking either a sinus infection or strep, which she gets on a regular basis (on account of her monster-sized tonsils) & I hear it's been making it's rounds in her school. My girl doesn't "do" sick very well....but I think she secretly enjoys our "sick kid routine" :) I pull out the sleeper sofa in the playroom & put on a movie, and she gets to pile up pillows and stuffed animals around her. Best of all?...Sadie is not allowed to get on the pull-out bed with her because Mommy is worried about germs. Also, she gets to eat ramen noodles for dinner....in the bed....

Big Changes

Time to write about what has been going on with us over the past couple of weeks.

Chad lost his job 2 weeks ago, and has been searching & interviewing for various new positions. Things seemed to come to a screeching halt when we found out he'd no longer be working at Woodmark. We felt completely derailed and helpless. We moped around for one painful week, took some time to figure out a game plan, and finally came to the resolution that EVERYTHING will be alright. Chad's interviewed with 2 companys already, both of which want to see him again this coming week. I have complete faith that hiring managers will be falling over each other trying to make him offers, and that he will end up having a choice between several jobs. He's just that awesome :)

In the meantime, I have taken a part-time job at Hallmark....and I start tomorrow!! I have been looking for a job with flexibility for some time now and I think this is going to work out great for us. It is something that I hope to maintain even after Chad begins his new job. I realize it's only a part-time gig at a mall, but I haven't worked in 5 1/2 years....so I'm really excited.

Though these past couple of weeks have been difficult and stressful, I'm trying to take the advice of a friend who told me to enjoy all this extra time together. She we should take the kids to the D.C.zoo on a weekday(it's free)...or pack a lunch and head to the park together (also free). As much as that is easier said than done, we are trying to make the most of it!

Yesterday we went to a local fruit farm and picked 5 pounds of yummy strawberries.

Wacky Wednesday

Today was "Wacky Wednesday" in Hannah's pre-K class. We had fun picking out her wacky outfit this morning, although Hannah was a bit nervous about wearing her bright yellow swimsuit cover-up. She remembers the time she was wearing it last summer and got stung by a wasp at the park. She believes the wasp stung her because he thought she was a sunflower. So, when I pulled it out of the drawer, she got tears in her eyes and said, "But Mommy, what if a bee thinks I'm a flower and tries to sting me again!?!" I told her that since it was about 33 degrees outside & sleeting this morning, I was pretty sure we would not run into any bees or wasps on our way to school.

I registered Hannah for Kindergarten on Tuesday. We went to the school with her buddy Peyton & her Mom right after pre-k. They had tables set up for parents to fill out paperwork, and one of the Kindergarten teachers asked the girls if they'd like to see her classroom. They both trotted off right after her, and she showed them her class (complete with actual Kindergarten kids, because she had a class going). She also showed them the nurses office and the library. Hannah was so excited....she came running back to me saying " Mommy, you have to see this...there is a whole nurse hospital in this school!!" :)

How do you measure a year?

I'm back. Yes, I know it's been over a year since my last post. No, I'm not going to recap the entire year of 2010. I'm going to jump straight into what is going on NOW!

Hannah Grace will turn 5 next month. She is a more amazing and loving daughter than I could have ever hoped for. She is incredibly smart and soft-hearted; clever and hilarious. She will finish up her last year of preschool this Spring...and then it is the big yellow cheese wagon for her! She is super excited, but I just can't believe I have an "almost " Kindergartener. Wasn't it only last week that our little family of 3 was just starting out, living in Music City? Hannah is precious to me, and I have loved being home with her for these 5 years. I hope to continue staying home with the girls as long as I can....there is nothing in the world I would trade it for.

Sadie Everett is a gorgeous, silly, wild-hearted 2 1/2 year olds. She literally cracks us up everyday. She is half baby still, and half big girl (if not half teen-ager!) She loves her babydolls, playdoh, and almost anything that Hannah likes. I say this because she wants to be exactly like Hannah...and will repeat exactly what Hannah says....and will walk exactly how Hannah walks. Though she strives to like her big sister, Sadie's own little personality shines right on through. She is considerably more fearless than Hannah, which is awesome because she can encourage Hannah to try something that she normally would not attempt if Sadie were not around.

Together, they are quite a pair. The play together, fight together...and miss each other when they are not together. Sadie asks about Hannah all morning, every morning while Hannah is in school. Then finally, 1:00 comes and Sadie barges into Ms. Gretchen's classroom and takes back her sister.

I don't know if the future holds more children for us, but I am so thankful those 2 blondes have each other to love. And I'm even more thankful for how complete they have made my life in the past several years.

And just like that, my quiet time is over....more to come soon.

Love,

Sarah