Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Christmas tree

Our Christmas tree is up! Granny and Grampy came this past weekend and with them they brought our tree. This is a first of many years I am sure, a little hard for me to get use to. But $80 for a real tree is just not ok! So a fake one it will be.

Everyone seemed to have a great time. I sit back and watch everyone and it is quite fun to watch. Our tree has now become 60% Penn State and 30% homemade 10% left over from my tree decorating days.

Daddy and Austin have been playing with the racetrack under the tree. Daddy got a little frustrated getting it up, and about has a hart attack when someone goes near it, but I think the longer it is up the more relaxed he will become with it.






Thursday, December 1, 2011

as usual


So once again behind. But we will catch up at some point. I just feel as though pictures need to with a blog post, so that takes more time. Plus with the ease of facebook uploading and sharing, it makes keeping the blog up to date seem like a lot of work. Even though we all know it really isn't

Anyway for Halloween we took the kids to a farm...there is no picking your own pumpkins here in Fl, but they just as much fun doing a maze, seeing the smelly animals, and jumping, then picking their pumpkins out of cardboard boxes.





So once again behind. But we will catch up at some point. I just feel as though pictures need to with a blog post, so that takes more time. Plus with the ease of facebook uploading and sharing, it makes keeping the blog up to date seem like a lot of work. Even though we all know it really isn't

Anyway for Halloween we took the kids to a farm...there is no picking your own pumpkins here in Fl, but they just as much fun doing a maze, seeing the smelly animals, and jumping, then picking their pumpkins out of cardboard boxes.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Halloween 2011


This year was a little more organized than last year, since we have been here a year now! I can't believe we have lived in Florida of a year. I am lovin the life, and I think everyone else is as well. Not too many complaints.



Our "Angel" and Mario

a little blurry, boy is it continually getting hard to get pictures of her. I wasn't even out the door and she was gone. A month before she didn't want to go trick or treating, than a week before she wanted this elaborate costume that I just could not muster up before Halloween. So she went with the Dark Angel. The shoes (mine) lasted about 15 minutes.

His school parade. The kids were only allowed to dress as story book characters, so I frantically stitched this supper man outfit, which he now wears as pajamas. Turns out he could have worn his supper mario outfit


Austin and his best bud Josh the robot

The 2 neighbor girls that val went with. There was a boy in the mix, however he didn't want to get in the photo.
I caught this one photo as they were passing. Sara (prisoner) and Amanda (witch), came home way before Valerie and Jarrad Sara's brother. Jarrad's mom had to go searching for them because trick or treat was over and they still were not home.
Around here there is a dentist office that buys candy back for $1/1lb. they send the candy to the troops and less in our house. I am not sure but I think i missed it, if not I will be heading over on Monday with lots of candy:)

t-ball

Well t-ball is almost over and I am finally getting some pictures up. He is having a good time, but doing t-ball 2 times a week and biking 2 times a week is enough to send me over the edge. Daddy is enjoying the assistant coach part and next year he wants to actually be head coach.



It's been a while

Finding the time to blog is rough...we'll figure it out. In the mean time here are some photos of the kids the last few months. They are growing so fast!


Valerie helping me make sure my fixed lens works

Austin started t-ball, it's a little different down here, it's almost like they are grooming them to be all star players


Savannah enjoying watching Austin bike. Valerie has been out of commission with her wrist

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Where does time go?




You think it would be easy to just sit and update the blog. Really how hard is it, apparently too hard. Well, now on to what is new. Austin had his birthday party and the only thing we got were videos, so I will have to download them to share. I think he had a really good time. He especially loved daddy as Bowser and hitting him with water balloons at the end of the "Mario World" we created.

Austin also started t-ball last week. He seems to like it, it's getting tiring traveling to do everything, but he is having fun non the less. His first game is next Thursday. I'm not sure who is more excited, Daddy or Austin. They are quit serious around here when it comes to T-ball. Austin had to go to evaluations, then they had a draft. After the kids were picked, he started practice 2 times a week, with homework (yea you read right homework). Nothing major, just learning where all the pl ayes are SUPPOSE to be. SUPPOSE to be, come on they are 5! I always though Austin was pretty good, the when I went to his first practice, some of the other kids, blew him out of the water. It's like these dad's have been grooming them for this. Now don't get me wrong, Austin is pretty good, t-ball is just not his primary focus in life. He is doing great in biking, he is standing up around the track for almost the entire time (a hug feat for him). He hasn't had a race in a little while. But he has moved up in the rankings for his age.

Valerie, Valerie, Valerie. Well all I can really say is I do believe we hit the teenage years. She is taking sometime off from biking for a little. We are trying to regroup, and find a happy medium. I love that girl to death, but I think we are TO much a like sometimes. She's growing like a weed and is taller than me and has bigger feet now. It was nice the other day, I went in my closet and I had new shoes. Ones she had barley worn and of course I liked, because I had to approve the purchase. Score for mommy! Her grades are doing great this year. She just got her interims yesterday and all except 1 grads were A's. We are just working through some things to get her back on track with the home life.

Savannah, she is a riot. In the last week she has dumped pain on the floor 2 times. Both times while someone is right next to her "watching her". She has learned what the corner is and even put herself there 2 weeks ago. She too is growing fast. I think it is safe to say she will be taller than me as well. Yesterday I put her in her room for a nap, I went to my sewing room and on the monitor I heard a very excited little girl yell I did it, I did it. I thought did she climb out of her crib? But I heard more talking and thought no, she would have come out. Then about 5 minutes later, I heard her calling for me (I shut my door because I am loud). I open my door to find her on the steps. Trying not to laugh, I picked her back up, put her back in the crib and said sternly stay here, don't get out, night night. A little while later a big thunder cracked (she is terrified of thunder), and as I was opening the door, she is screaming at the top of her lungs lunging into me. So this week it looks like we are switching to a toddler bed. I am so not ready.

Joepa is home with us now. The last time Bob and Mary came we asked if they could let Joepa stay. Everyone here is very happy, but I am sure he is missed in Altoona

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Austin can tie his shoes!

This past week school started and it got me thinking...I remembered that Valerie was tying her shoes when she went to kindergarden, but Austin had not attemted to tie a shoe. Pretty much all we wear are flip flops. So I went on a hunt for the web-site I used for Valerie, and boy was it hard to find.




With Valerie, I tired for 3 days and then went to the internet and found this great web page. Once Valerie watched it only 1 time she was tying her shoes. I was getting upset because I could not find it for Austin. But after 2 days of searching I found it. We spent 2 nights about 30minutes without the video, then we watched the video and for the most part he got it!




We started out with him tying my shoe, then I got him longer laces for his shoes and now he is off. The 2 days he had school last week he tied his shoes. I go behind him and double knot them to help them stay.


Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The school year has began







This week was back to school week for us. I defanitly had mixed emotions about it all the way around. There were times where I could not wait for school to start and then there were times the thought of it made me tear up. But it has come and I know it will be a good year.

Valerie started Monday, and apparently it's not cool to have your picture taken on the first day anymore...but I will do it anyway:) She had orientation last Friday which was pretty nice. WE got to meet the teachers and do a trial for her first day.This is the first year the school is trying block scheduling. They have 3 classes a day and lunch. Each class last 2 regular periods, so she has classes every other day. I think it will work out nice and help with the homework.

Austin has his first day of school today. Only 5 kids went to school each day Monday - Thursday, then on Friday the entire class goes. It went off without a hitch. Except I was the only mom at the Boo Hoo breakfast crying. We biked today and will most likely bike every day from now on. It only takes us 10 minutes to bike and it takes about 25minutes to drop them off in the car. Austin's orientation was Friday. He got to meet his teacher and Rob and I got to spend money on PTO, lunches, spirt shirt and such. He really wont be buying lunch, but they offer ice cream on Friday's only and I thought it would be nice for him to have a little something at the end of the week. He enjoyed it, and talked about his day way more than Valerie ever did.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

my baby is 2










So today my baby is 2. It went by so fast. Yesterday we threw her a little party while Rob's mom and step-dad were in town. We had a few people from the neiborhood come to play. The kids had a good time.

She is getting so big I can't believe how fast she is learning and growing.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Oh, Savannah

Well, I thought it was do time that Savannah got a little time on the blog. It seems so long since I have updated about just her.

In just 1 short week she will be 2! My baby is no longer a baby. I am really trying to soak her all in. Enjoy everything I can with her. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed Austin and Valerie, but I am older and different and not so uptight. Can you imagine!

She is the most opinionated, dare devil, and sweet, little girl you could meet! She has no problems telling you what she wants or doesn't want. If she is ready for nap or bed, she will ask for baby, quack quack and her blanket. She just rolls over and goes to sleep. I usually sing and read her a book at bedtime (I have been doing this since she was about 5 months old), but there are times she is so tired she say says "no book, no sing, night night." Savannah wants to try everything the older ones are doing and usually comes out smiling. She is in a big watch me phase. Her most resent love is drawling. She will sit at her table for 30-40 minutes at a time and has learned to drawl a circle, I'm no big deal, but cool to mommy non the less.

About a month ago she was bringing me diapers and wipes telling me when she needed to be changed or just wanted to be changed. I thought I would take the opportunity to try and potty train her. I tried it for 2 days and decided it just wasn't time. We had several successful attempts, but we both were not ready. Savannah is great in the car now, thank goodness! Her favorite food is yogarts, that we put in the freezer. She hates water to drink, if she thinks I have given her water she throws a hug fit. Loves water to swim though, just loves it. I guess that is no big surprise. She has just hit a faze where babies involve her every activity.

In the morning she sits in her crib and yells "I want to get up". She still is not the best napper, however when she goes to bed around 8 she will usually sleep until 730-8, so I can't complain. Right now, if she does something wrong, she is quick to tell you "I sorry", then you can't even stay upset with her. She just melts my heart!

I have plenty more to share about my little Savannah, but Austin and her just got up and want some breakfast so until next time.


Eating it use to be her favorite pass time


playing with color bubbles from Granny


Savannah loves to hold Austin's had going to the pool


Her bff, Austin's friend's little brother


sitting in Austin's carseat at the track