Our Tree

It's that time of year again! We got our tree last weekend...in the snow storm. We found a place called Meadows Farms Nursery...they had rows upon rows of trees. When you found the perfect one, you were supposed to ring these jingle bells...and someone came running up to help you. Then all we had to do was go into their warm little shop and sip on free cocoa while we waited for the tree to be tied to the van. I think that will be our special spot to purchase our tree every year. It was very fun!...and put us into the holiday spirit.

My monkey girl

I may not have any monkey boys in my house...but I sure do have a monkey GIRL.

Mickey Vacay

We have been renewed in the spirit of Mickey! Our first official family vacation was absolutely the highlight of our year. We had such a great time..and the girls were a dream. They slept well, behaved fabulously, and got to meet all of their favorite characters! ( or "Creatures", as Hannah called them). Hannah spent all week on cloud 9. She couldn't believe her eyes when she met Mickey, Minnie, REAL princesses, Donald, Goofy..etc. It was truly magical to watch the sheer excitement and joy on her face. We purchased an "official Disney world autograph book" and set out on our mission to get as many characters to sign our book as we could. Chad and I really got into it...it was just as much fun for us to meet Snow White as it was for Hannah.
I do miss Florida though. Where else can you dance at a wedding, feed dolphins, meet an entire slew of magical characters, go on a safari, sing with the Lion King, take a dip in the hot tub, cheer at a medieval sword fight, and ride Splash Mountain all in ONE week! Good times, I tell ya. Good times.

Anyhow, we are now back to our normal schedule and looking forward to Thanksgiving next week. This past week was full of school days, playdates, and doctor/dentist appointments. I like when we're busy...it's comforting. However, we are taking a break today and staying home from Dance class because Hannah's developed a yucky cough/runny nose. Ugg, it's going to be a LONG germ season!

One more thing. The girls are really starting to "play" together and make each other laugh. It's so fun and heart-warming to watch. It also provides me with a nice little break when they actually entertain each other.
Blue Lollipop Eating & T.V. Loving Girlies

i'm NOT the princess!!

Chad brought home a fairy princess costume last week for Sadie to wear. This is what she thought of it.
It was super fluffy and extremely itchy. She wanted none of it! But if it were socially acceptable, I would totally wear the wings on a daily basis!
So, Sadie will be a pumpkin...which matches exactly who she is. :) And Hannah still wants to be a monkey! The costume is actually more of a big gorilla-looking beast, but since Mikayla wore it last year, Hannah wants to do it this year. Monkey see, Monkey do...right? :)

Fall

We are having such a nice Fall. We've been keeping busy with Hannah's school days, Sadie's playgroup, and recent Fall festivities. This is my favorite time of year and there is much to look forward to over the next few months. Hannah and I will be heading to South Boston next weekend for Donna's baby shower...and then we'll have a new niece in the matter of weeks! Also, I'm enjoying following Erin's pregnancy day by day :) I'm so excited to become an Aunt....I think I'll be a really awesome one!
Something else has been keeping me busy lately...and that is trying hard to keep everyone healthy. Lysol is my new best friend.
Chad and I got our regular flu shots last weekend...and the girls go this week to get theirs. I have been on the fence with the H1N1 vaccine. I had actually decided NOT to get the girls vaccinated. It makes me nervous that the vaccine was just thrown out in no time flat...and first they needed one shot, then they needed two...so much confusion. I have seen interviews with well known physicians saying they won't be vaccinating their own kids. Anyhow, now I know of 3 families within MOMS club alone who's children have been diagnosed with Swine Flu. The girls have not been around the infected kids, but with Hannah going to school...I'm sure she will come in contact with it eventually. She's healthy to start with, so if she did contract it, she would most likely be okay...but why take the risk of her even getting sick if it can be prevented? This is something I've been struggling with ...and I still haven't made up my mind. I will probably make my decision on Thursday when I speak to her doctor. Chad thinks I'm down right crazy...and he's going to be the first in line to get his when Winchester actually receives it's supply.
Going to spend some time with Hannah while Sadie's napping... More later!
Oh- and Hannah says her favorite words are "Watermelon" and "Tasty Sweet".
LOL

Busy Bees...

Ooops, I'm slowing down on the blog posts. I've discovered Facebook is a much easier and less time-consuming way to keep everyone updated on our adventures. However, I want to keep blogging until the end of the year because I'd like to have at least one entire year that I can print out and keep for the girls. Cheaper than scrapbooking :)
We've had a busy couple of weeks. Hannah went back to school last week, and is already in love with her teacher. There are alot of kids in her class...the majority of them girls. I think she is having a blast and making new friendships. So that is fantastic! Also, she started her dance class. She really enjoyed it, but she was upset when the class ended and she didn't get to do a ballerina "spin". She thought that she was going to learn EVERYTHING in one day, so I have to keep reminding her that she'll learn a new skill each week. Her first class, she learned how to walk on her tippy toes like a princess.
Sadie had her first little playgroup meeting yesterday, and I think she will enjoy that. Hannah had the benefit of a playgroup when she was a baby, so I think Sadie should have the same. So on Mondays, while Hannah's at school..Sadie is playing with HER new friends. She is the youngest in the group by a few months...but is the same size as the oldest ones. It will be nice for me too!...It is always pleasant to have an adult conversation every once in a while :)
My Mom came up this past weekend and we had a fun visit. We went apple picking, but the girls mainly just wanted to run and play on the playground at the orchard.
As I suspected, Sadie woke up this morning with a super runny nose....which is probably the result of all the contact with new children. Oh well....it begins :)

Here, Yucky Ducky...

Little Lady Sadie has been sick this week, with a fever ranging from 99- 102. I finally took her to the doctor this morning....her fever is gone, but now she has a rash on her torso and face (even up into her scalp). My gut said it was just a virus, but I wanted to rule out strep throat...so I took her in for a test. No strep...it was just a yucky virus. Her rash may last up to a week, but at least she's not contagious anymore. Poor little thing....I can tell she's starting to feel better though.
Went to Hannah's school last night for "Parent's Night" and got to meet Hannah's new teacher. Ms. Gretchen has 23 yrs of experience under her belt and seems like she'll be great. Hannah's friend, Katy is in the same class....along with several other friends from her class last year. So it looks like she'll have a fun year. I'm so excited for her! I know she's ready to get rid of me-lol!
The weather has been gorgeous this week and we fed the ducks at the park the other day. These ducks were fearless....a few even reached up and grabbed bread from Hannah's hand. A bit frightening...so, once we were out of bread we high-tailed it out of there!