Author: Dania

>We just finished up our gymnastics session last week.  It was, well, interesting to say the least.  The Mommy and Me class I took with McKenna was great and I’d recommend it to anyone (World Class Gymnastics in Latham).  At 18 months, the idea of waiting in a line for your turn and having a very structured environment was a challenge some days, but I think overall it was well worth it (and good for her!).  They really did a LOT with the kids and I met some really great people.  Kennedy’s on the other hand, was a bit different experience and she got bored very quickly with it and began begging for soccer after a few weeks (may not have helped that there were only two other kids enrolled).  I also think that McKenna and I waiting in the observation room watching (playing) made her feel a bit left out.  McKenna made a little friend that helped occupy her for the hour Kennedy was in class as they shut themselves in lockers, climbed on bleachers and peered out at their older sisters through the curtain.  In fact, as I reviewed the pictures, I believe she may have had way more fun than Kennedy on Tuesdays.  Needless to say, we’re taking a break from gymnastics and are back to swim classes this time around (that’s a whole ‘nother story), but I’ll always look back fondly on these last few weeks!

>My favorite little boy isn’t so little anymore.  Welcome to the world of mobility little Coop.

And I neglected to mention how nice it is that Molly & Kennedy are old enough to venture into the snow all by themselves while we stay warm and cozy inside with the itty bitty ones.  Such a nice display of taking turns on this particular day.

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>I have so many, many pictures I want to share from this Christmas.  Thanks to a fun filled evening at Bubbles, Missy Lou slept through the better part of Christmas morning, but didn’t miss a beat when she finally made her appearance at 9am (3 long hours after the Bean was up and ripping through presents).  This year was especially fun and felt longer than most…I think the appearance of Shelfy helped.  Where was he when I was a kid?  Kennedy’s excitement over him each morning was too sweet for words.  Without further ado, we’ll begin with Christmas Eve…

>We had a fantastic New Years Eve with our favorites.  We stuffed ourselves silly and filled our livers with booze.  While we didn’t all make it to midnight {together anyways}, there are no better people I’d rather ring in the new year with. Mrs. ‘Piro has officially graduated to Aunt Rachel….and while we gave Joel the option of Uncle Joel, he decided J. Shaps was more hip and fitting (we’ll see there Mr. ‘Piro).  I even think Bean got Aunt Jen to bust some moves on the dance floor we created in the foyer (disco ball and all).  I must have been too busy gorging myself to capture that one on camera.  Next year Aunt Jen….next year.

Just a quick snapshot of the besties…

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!!

>Finally the first real snowfall of the season.  I may or may not have been secretly wishing we’d have a winter free of snow (I know, bah hum bug), but after seeing my girls face while she rolled around making snow angles and grinning ear to ear, I guess I can be convinced winter doesn’t totally suck.

>One of our favorites things (especially during the winter months) are our movie nights.  We went from the chairs a few weeks ago to now snuggling in our new sleeping bags (thanks to Grammy and Grampy).  How stinkin’ cute are these two?  I literally teared up as I snapped this….

>Have a safe, safe flight back to the North Pole.  You will be sorely missed.

Until next year…

>There are many many reasons I so love the Bean.  These are just two…

me-“Kennedy, why did you just step in that puddle?”. Kennedy- “Because it was there.”  

you know you’re in trouble when your 3 1/2 year old announces while looking in the fridge – “you’ve got to be kidding me. we’re out of brie.”

>My itty bitty will use just about anything that may give her a few extra inches to climb wherever her little heart desires…

>I adore being home with my girls.  I really adore being home with my girls.  Most days are great days…and I usually try to post the happy-go-lucky moments, but…..we are very much human.

>We’ve tied the appearance of Shelfy to the advent calendar on the girls stockings and so he leaves them a little treat when he returns each morning (assuming they’ve been good the prior day…).  This particular morning, Shelfy was feeling much more generous than his typical Hershey Kisses…and boy were the girls happy, happy girls.

>I don’t remember much about my childhood, but I do have a distinct memory of blanketing every piece of furniture in my fathers living room and spending hours in my forts hiding from monsters, bullies and countless of other unwanted evils of the world. Kennedy has always adored making forts as well, and try as we might, we just couldn’t come up with a quality one that didn’t immediately collapse on us.  Then swoops in Mrs. ‘Piro today with this fantastic fort kit. McKenna’s MO these days are to destroy anything she can, so we had to wait until she went down to create our masterpiece (and by we, I mean John).  Nothing more cozy than snuggles to protect us from the same evils, some 25+ years later, in our very own polka dotted fort…

>This is how my girls arrive and leave school every day.  It’s just too cute for words.  Which, is why I take pictures…

>We love, love, love our lunches with Grampy.  Unfortunately for Grampy, it’s usually at a irritable time of day for the girls so they require extra love and attention, but they power through and just adore the heck out of him (rightfully so).

>Picked up Kennedy from school one day and as we were walking out, the wind started whipping and rain started coming down.  Now, anyone who knows me knows that when I want something, I am possibly the most impatient person EVER.  So despite the pouring rain, we ran over to Old Navy to look for PJs so I could attempt Christmas pictures the next day.  By the time we arrived, I could barely see, but we got a good spot and ran inside and didn’t end up too soaked.  Well…coming out was a different story.  Especially since after I got both girls back in the car, I realized that Missy Lou pulled her most common trick and was missing a shoe.  So….back out into the rain we went, in search for the missing shoe.  Luckily, we didn’t melt…and the girls were laughing so hard they could barely breathe…

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>It’s our FAVORITE time of the year.  Well, despite the whole cold thing, which I don’t much care for.  But after somewhat dreading holidays as a child, through my own children (and loving husband), I’ve learned to fall in love all over again.  This year may be one of the most special yet.  McKenna was able to participate better this year and Kennedy is truly soaking in the magic of it all.  And this is the first year we were sent Shelfy, our own personal Elf to watch over and play liaison between us and Santa.  Her face when she spots his new resting place each morning warms my heart like no other.  We are truly, truly blessed and don’t for a second forget it.

>Did I mention I bought the girls new hats?  Really expensive, but oh so worth it hats?  Kennedy adores it.  McKenna…well, I’m not so sure.  She clearly thinks sticking her finger up her nose is the most hysterical thing she could possibly do.  Now, my giggle fits may or may not have something to do with that.

>Every little girls should be so lucky as to have their very own Bubble.  There is nothing like watching your three year old squeal in delight upon hearing that her Bubble will be making an unplanned visit.  They are lucky, lucky ladies.  And we are lucky, lucky parents to have such a wonderful role model for our two little ones…

>While we certainly miss the heck out of Bean on school days, we’ve made the most of our alone time…and some of my favorite mornings are just coming home, getting cozy and tearing the playroom apart together.  Nothing warms my heart more than this smiling face…

>Our little Bean is a very, very lucky girl to have a Godfather that just can’t say no….even when he really should.  She’s getting a bit tall to be plowing through the bridge, rather than under…

>McKenna’s very first milkshake.  I can’t quite tell…do you think she likes it??  I’ll give you a nickel if you can guess where we are…

>The big 3-0 was quickly approaching and John and I had plans to head up to Saratoga National for dinner that evening.  I suppose had I not been so oblivious, I would have figured something was up when we, on more than one occasion, fought over whether or not jeans were appropriate.  Not just any jeans, but $200 lovely, lovely jeans.  No joke jeans…with no joke lovely boots.  Lovely jeans and boots that this house mom doesn’t often get to put on.  But I wasn’t bitter (or was I?).  I caved and put on my old work pants with a “pretty” top.  And then proceeded to feel a little foolish that I had fought him on it when I walked out of the house to find a limo waiting for me, filled with 4 of my favorite people, and all the booze and snacks a girl could want.  We drank and ate while we took the hour and a half trip down to the CIA for a most fabulous dinner…followed by a drunkest at the local dive bar, which included beer, car bombs, madurai sours and really great jukeox music (um, did you know they are now all digital?!).  A GREAT night was had by all though we paid dearly for it the following day.  I could not have had a better time with a better group of people.  Mucho thanks to the hubby for his devious planning for those many weeks!  And my best friends, for helping him pull it off!

>Ok, so maybe we’re still batting 50/50…

Ps.  That’s her pj top she’s trying to put on as pants.  I suppose I can see how she can get that confused…

>I’d like to say Kennedy’s first experience at bowling went well….but I suppose I’ll instead say that we’ll try again next year.  :)

>Have you been?  It’s the best.  I mean, the BEST…and I’m not one to often rave. It’s especially nice on quiet days when you practically have the place to yourself.  That somewhat worries me about how long it will be around, but based on the crowd there on weekends and holidays, I think it makes up for it’s quiet times.  I can’t even begin to describe this place if you have not yet been.  There are very few places in the area that can hold my girls attention and satisfy their craving for climbing and adventure during the winter months, but this one does it.  Between the Fort, the ridiculously fast slides and the almost impossible Spider Zone, we leave breathless, exhausted and full of smiles.   I only snapped a few pictures to capture our time since climbing around in spots made for 3Ts and I didn’t want to miss out on the action, but I vowed not to forget this day….

>I am certainly no fashion expert (just ask my waffle tees and converse shoes), so I decided a few weeks back that I’d let Kennedy start picking out her own outfits each day (she had to do better than me right??).  There are enough things in her life we have to control that if this gives her a better sense of independence and self esteem, I will happily let go.  And better than me she did.  She often picks out an outfit I NEVER would have and I’m proud to say…it looks damn good!  Maybe it’s something about being 3, having no media or peer influence and just picking out whatever makes her happy.  I’ll admit there are many days I’m actually a tad bit jealous of her sweet and pure innocence.

Now, while picking out the outfit hasn’t been an issue, getting it ON is another story.  She “tries” mind you, but mostly comes with pants on backwards, shirts inside out or more often than not, naked from head to toe.  So imagine my surprise when she pops into the bathroom this morning, fully dressed from head to toe with everything on properly (undies included…which is a biggie for her).  My heart swelled for a moment.  Not just because she picked out an adorable outfit and managed to get it on by herself, but more so because of what all that stands for.  My baby is a baby no more.  I’m one proud momma.

>We do!  We do!!  What in the world would my girls do without their lovable Mimi…

>Kennedy has been obsessed with Pellegrino, aka “fizzy water” for as long as we can remember so we thought McKenna was old enough to join in with little glass of her own.  However, upon further consideration, she may not be quite ready.

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>We had a fan-friggin-tastic Halloween.  It was freezing, but we were all just happy that the rain held off for us this year.  We again headed over to the ‘Piro’s to hit up their neighbors.  It was so nice to have all of the kids join in this year!  I’d say the girls made out pretty good.  McKenna did need to stop and take inventory after every house to be sure no candy was lost along the way.  Kennedy was amazing at how well she knew which candy she should not eat.  With each candy she received that she knew she couldn’t eat (like peanut butter cups or m&ms), she’d race up to Molly and happily drop it in her bag.  At 3, we were so proud and amazed at her maturity regarding the whole thing.  After the ‘Piro’s, we headed over to the Smileys for some more peanut-free candy and snuggle time before heading home to safeguard our home against any angry trick-or-treaters.  Hope everyone’s halloween was as happy as ours!

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>Kennedy’s parade day at Brown School was just too adorable for words.  She insisted that McKenna come watch and that she be dressed as a pumpkin too…as if she just wasn’t complete without her little sidekick.  The look on her face when she marched in and saw McKenna waiting for her was priceless.  And the squeal McKenna let out when she pushed past everyone to run to Kennedy made my heart soar.  Kennedy put a protective arm around her and was beyond proud to show off her little pumpkin to her friends at school.  After researching what seemed like a zillion pre-k programs, I have no doubt, we picked the very best one for our Bean..um, I mean Pumpkin.  :)

>You would think it’s every kids dream to carve a pumpkin and scoop out all the pulp.  I used to think I had a tomboy for a daughter.  Based on this years carving, I’m rethinking that.  Somehow, around 3, she turned into little miss priss who doesn’t like to get her hands dirty.  She scooped once and then let us do the rest of the work.  But she had no problem admiring the finished product as if she had done it herself.

>We do! After following the advice of some friends, we landed there last weekend and we’re sure glad we did! The grounds were a photographer’s dream! Picturesque tire and flatboard swings hung from gorgeous trees and old wooden and charming playhouses, slides and bridges huddled under warm dappled light. Had I known, I would have brought the daddy mac camera, but John’s Rebel did alright in my book. Oh, and did I mention there were animals?! They were a big hit with the kiddos.

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Almost ever pregnant mom-to-be will say they don’t care if it’s a boy or a girl, “as long as they are happy and healthy”. And I think there may be a small majority of women who may truly believe that. But most of us, if we were being totally honest, have a preference. Not that we’d be any less in love with our babes if they turned out to be opposite of what we secretly wished, but if given the option, we all have a preference. All that being said, before we were even ready to try for a child, I always wished for two girls. And the wait to those 20 week appointments (or 19 weeks in my case because I’m JUST that impatient) was torture. Maybe even more so the second time around as I “secretly” prayed that Kennedy would be blessed with a sister (this coming from an only child who must have asked my parents, with fingers crossed, a zillion times if they were sure a twin sister wasn’t accidentally misplaced and forever lost in the hospital with no such luck). So if you can imagine the scene at Starbucks, peppermint mocha in hand and shaky, well, shaky EVERYTHING, as John tore open the envelope that held the gender of Kennedy’s soon to be sibling…I may or may not have screeched when he announced it was a girl (and totally freaked out all the other quiet patrons that morning) and immediately teared up.

Fast forward 15 months later…their sisterly bond is more than I could have ever imagined. I could write examples for pages and pages of how these two love each other. I could write about how when Kennedy falls at school and scrapes her knee, the person she cries for to comfort her is McKenna. I could write about how when we get in the car after dropping of Kennedy at school, McKenna stares at the empty seat beside her and simply whimpers. I could write about the hugs and kisses they engage in numerous times a day…and the countless times Kennedy busts out randomly with the phrases “McKenna is my best friend”, “I love you McKenna”, “I will keep your safe McKenna”.

I may have said this before, but John read a book once that quoted “your longest relationship in life will be that between you and your siblings”. While I’m a realist (ha) and realize life won’t always be this sweet and innocent between the two of them, I hope that no matter what, they always have an underlying love and appreciation for one another and realize how very, very lucky they are.

>It all started out on a lovely day with a confident little Pirate who sat up high in her Big Blue Pirate Ship and kept a close eye out for those skillful Ninjas…

But one must never underestimate the stealth of a Ninja so small and mighty…

And even the proudest of Pirates will cry….

when the Ninja prevails…

But she will shake it off…

And once again, claim what is rightfully hers.

Call me a dork if you must, but my girls will appreciate my dorkness someday. So there.

>While heading out the door to a session on Thursday evening, Bean asks why I have to work and my smart ass responds: “to bring home the bacon baby girl!”. So I had a great chuckle at my own expense when I was headed home and recieved this…

>There is no doubt both of my children are often happiest when eating.  McKenna did her happy dance after every bite. It may also have had a little to do with the awesome lunch music provided by 1249.  She’s become quite the master of the fork and though I have considered a smaller one, I believe the bigger the bite, the happier the child.

And don’t judge on the easy mac.  She does have healthy meals…cross my heart. 

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>We’ve all had those moments with our children that warms your heart so badly it might just burst. Usually, it’s snuggling up with them under a cozy blanket, or snoozing together first thing in morning, or the enormous hugs their little bodies are capable of…or it’s watching your three year old head to the trash in the food court to toss the remainder of a pizza slice and halt to a dead stop for “one more bite” {twice}.

God love that kid.

>While we certainly miss Bean the days she’s at school, we’ve been making the most of our alone time together. We ventured out this rainy morning and parked it outside Starbucks and just spent some quality time snacking, talking (as best we can converse at 15 months) and laughing while watching the rain come down. Some might call a day like that dreary…I found it simply lovely and may just have to make it a rainy day tradition.

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>For months now, we’ve been diligently raising money to support Kennedy’s team “Kickin’ it with Kennedy” in the local FAAN (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network) Walk at the Crossings. Thanks to amazingly generous friends and colleagues, we were able to raise over $5,000 alone to help this worthy cause…and contribute towards the $30,000 the walk generated overall. It was a wonderful day and we could not be more proud to be part of such an amazing cause.

Oh, and I almost forgot. Andy the Music man was there and Kennedy was BEYOND excited to share her very own version of “I Like to Move It, Move It” from Madagascar. Girl sure ain’t shy…

>Or not so much. We’ve been going to the Adirondack Balloon Festival every year since Kennedy was born despite the terrible traffic we endure on the hour long ride and the fact that the balloons rarely actually take off. But we go anways, and always manage a good time nontheless. This year was no exception.

>I love you…

>Long time friends of mine from high school own this AMAZING farm in Charlton that is now open to the public for fall and winter.  We were excited to bring the girls and Alex to opening day and they all had a BLAST running from activity to activity.  And it was so good to see some old friends, who I regretfully lost touch with after high school, and reconnected with only thanks to the amazing world of Facebook.  A really, really great Saturday!

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>Not surprisingly, this has quickly become McKennas favorite place in the house to sit for what seems like hours…girl likes to eat. 

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>Per Mrs. Suggs:

We made it through our first day of school!! Yes we had a few tears, and changed some pants but it was a good day.

Just wanted you to know that we didn’t go to music or movement today thought it was best to stay in the room and not have many transition times. We did have a short calendar time and picked Arnav to be the line leader. Our snack except for Kennedy and Lily was milk and animal crackers.

Everyone painted a water color picture to hang on our bullentin board, and one to take home. We played with playdough, put puzzles together, read books, enjoyed the train table. The dramatic play area was a big hit too as children cooked and played with the babies.

Four children only stay for the morning so they went home and the rest of us went to lunch after going to the big bathroom. Lunch time and then recess time outside. We came in and got our mats, went to the bathroom and had a nice story. The lights were turned off and soft music was put on. Most everyone went to sleep.

It will take time for everyone to get into a routine.

Tomorrow will will not have library as Mrs Hoffman is not quite ready for us this week.

We are taking some pictures of the children for our back to school night, just wanted you to know.

I’m excited about the class and we are off to a great start!

Mrs Suggs

Kennedy neither cried or peed her pants.  Though she did refuse a nap.  All in all, a good, good first day at school…

>Could NOT have gone better.  She was beyond excited and sang about school all the way there, bounced up the stairs and practically ran down the hall to Mrs. Sugg’s classroom.  Once everything was put away, she turned to me and said “Mommy?  Are you sad you can’t stay at school with me?  It’s ok, I’ll give you a big hug and kiss and maybe you can stay another day, ok?  But not today….but I love you.”

While McKenna and I will miss the heck out of her, I couldn’t be happier for her.   Pictures to come later.  For now, a few cute videos.  :)

>It takes a lot for me to laugh out loud reading an email, but this one from Rachel takes the cake.

I had the funniest conversation with molly yesterday:

Me: Molly, look at you, you are pumping your legs on the swing. Who taught you that?

Molly: I figured it out myself.

Me: Really? Does Kennedy know how to do that (thinking K taught her)?

Molly: No, i taught myself. But, i will teach Kennedy how to swing and she will teach me how to say please and thank you. Ok?

Me: Ok, Molly.

>Kennedy has been watching Yo Gabba Gabba for years now and loves the show.  I personally find it a tad bit creepy, but nonetheless, it’s got some good educational value I suppose.  When they were coming to the TU, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to take the girls.  McKenna was on team mom in the creepy department and spent most of her time buried in my chest, but Kennedy danced along excitedly.  And of course, the night was made when balloons fell from the ceiling.  Though I am a bit embarassed to even say how many we walked out of there carrying…lets just say it’s almost 4 weeks later and we are still kicking them around our house.

>Missy Lou is an amazing sleeper.  She sleeps later in the morning, goes down for nap sooner, and sleeps well into the afternoon.  Therefore, I get very little alone time with her (which will all change next week when Bean goes to school, sniff, sniff).  This particular evening, John took Bean up for a bath and we decided to stay downstairs and play.  I can’t remember the last time my belly hurt from laughing so hard.  I sure do have one happy, happy sweet girl…

>Soaking up the last few days of warm and pool weather with the best of friends.  A big thank you to the ‘Piro’s for hosting!  Kennedy is getting so confident in the water, I hope we can keep that up over the winter.  she’ll even put her whole face in below.  And I think Cooper was getting a bit annoyed with my camera in his face (as evidenced by the silly face below), but I couldn’t help it.  He’s just getting so big so quick! Time goes too darn fast…

>Boy am I going to miss these lovely summer afternoons…

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Those who know me know that I’m not much of a homemaker.  Cooking is not my strong suit.  But, I LOVE to make pizza.  For probably over a year now, Friday’s have been deemed pizza night in our house.  For a long time, we bounced from pizza joint to pizza joint in search for the very best pizza in town…and then the best way to get it hot (delivery versus pick-up).  Then, not to long ago…I think last October, the ‘Piros had us over for home made pizza and we were blown away by how good it was.  So we ran out and bought all the necessary items and never looked back. So after a long search we discovered that the very best pizza in town is made right in our own kitchen…