camden, maine

I have very fond memories of sailing to the Camden port with my family the summer before seventh grade. After checking out the town, I recall my dad getting annoyed at my loitering when it was time to leave and so he just sailed off leaving me on the dock! He did circle back for me, but he wasn't stopping the boat so I had to jump from the dock to the sailboat. Luckily for me I was athletic and made it!

On this trip with my sister's family, it was wonderful letting all those faded memories and beautiful scenery flood back into the forefront of my mind.

 

 

jet plane

I told Tyler I was leaving on a jet plane. He then asked if the Blue Angels were taking me! So cute.

 

 

i love my uncle!

 

put her down!

Tyler's new naughty habit is picking his sister up. This ends up being an awkward version of the Heimlich where her legs come off the ground and seems painful although she doesn't cry (much). Despite harsh scoldings and time in the corner he still seems unable to stop when he gets excited and wants to hug her. I can hardly blame him for wanting to love on her so much because she IS so adorable, but get a grip (or don't in this instance)!

4 more teeth

Seemingly overnight Jenna has sprouted four additional teeth (all cuspids) bringing her total to 16! She had been eating like a beast for three or four days, which I attributed to a growth spurt. While that may be true also, she most certainly was chomping away because of how great it felt on her gums. Her only baby teeth yet to arrive are her second set of molars.

cheerio!

In an effort to make potty training a bit more fun, I tossed some cheerios in the toilet and asked Tyler to aim for them. He thought it was hilarious and loves to drop them in himself and watch them flush down.

eating like a bear

Jenna has had a huge appetite for a few days. It's like she is a bear surfacing after hibernation. Growth spurt?

favorite girl

Tyler told me today, "Mom, you are my favorite girl." Priceless.

click, click

Jenna has taught herself to make a click sound with her tongue. She thinks it's funny.

upside down peek

Jenna loves to giggle and is such a little practical joker. To her delight today she realized she could bend at her waist and peek backwards through her legs. So amused!

earthquake!

At 5:04 a.m. I sat up in bed immediately alarmed. It took me a couple of seconds to realize that our house was shaking! I woke Alex up and alerted him to the shaking. He jumped out of bed and went down the hall to check on the kids and look outside. It felt like a big, BIG truck rolling by but it just didn't stop until Alex was half way down the hall, about 7-8 seconds after it started. He had thought a plane crashed nearby but couldn't see any smoke. Both kids stayed fast asleep.

Was that a truck, plane crash, gas leak under our house, earthquake?? I searched the internet but only came across old earthquake data. I posted on Facebook, "Umm, did anyone else feel that?" It took me a while to fall back asleep.

I was somewhat surprised and relieved watching the morning news to find out that we did indeed experience an earthquake (Germantown, MD was the epicenter). In fact, this was the largest earthquake on record in the area -- a 3.6 -- since they started recording in 1974. Despite that only half of people in the area woke up for the experience, there were no injuries, no major property damage, and it wasn't even the largest recorded in the US on that particular day. But still exciting enough for us!

B words

Jenna is clearly saying "baa" for bath and "a ball." it won't be long before she is adding words each day to her vocabulary.

stay at home mom

Our daycare provider took a personal day, so I took one too to care for the kids. My one day venture into being a stay-at-home mom was fun. Watch out, I could get used to this! Heeding one of my SAHM friend's advice, i got the kids up, dressed, fed and we got out of he house. On this day we headed to the park, came back to the house for a snack and then headed to one of my favorite consignment shops for kid clothes. This one in particular has a kid zone for playing so they were thrilled too.

When we were checking out, the store owner complimented me on my kids being "so well behaved." I didn't dare rat them out and simply responded "oh thank you!" We picked up lunch which we brought home and shared with daddy on his lunch break and then they napped the afternoon away. Did I mention that I could get used to this?

And below are some photos while we were at home and Tyler was putting on a concert for us. He is a showman just like daddy!

 

 

 

 

big boy

So after seeing just how much Tyler is than his buddy Simon, I decided to look into average height and weight for boys his age. Good Lord! At just over 3 1/2, this boy is running close to the height and weight of an average 5 year old. But as the doctor said at his 3-year checkup, he is "big, but very proportional!" So true.

red robin

Tyler's favorite place to eat AND he got to hang out with Red Robin!

tyler?

I think Jenna may have been trying to say Tyler's name this morning. It sounded more like "die-ah," but she seemed to be trying to get his attention.

playdate with the Howeses

Taking pictures of kids is challenging to say the least. Now get four of them couped up in a playroom and ask them to sit still. Matilda wasn't having it. So Jenna decided to model solo. Matilda was all happy as soon as she was back in her mommy's arms.

Tyler and Simon had a great time. They were born only six weeks apart so they were measuring up. Last time they hung out together I believe Tyler only had about an inch on Simon and now it's more like three. Boy, do they have fun together!

 

 

 

 

 

 

4th of July 2010

 

 

 

 

These pictures were taken while we were all still happy. We got a great spot to watch the fireworks and the kids were as patient as could be expected. Only Jenna proved to be challenging as she wanted to squirm around. But the show was great. Both children were awed (I was a little worried Jenna might cry, but she was ok with the loud bursts and Tyler kept his fingers in his ears.). Now for the part where we were no longer happy: after quickly getting back to our car and anticipating some traffic nothing had prepared us for not moving an inch in over an hour. Very frustrating. Luckily both kids fell sound asleep in their carseats for the duration. But should we go to the Columbia fireworks again, we have scouted the best parking area based on the police traffic patterns for events. We should be set next time!

round bay beach

Tyler is SO excited for our beach getaway with the Kriskos, which is still nearly a month away, that we decided to try out the local beach before the hot steamy weather rolls back in.

We met Oma at her community beach and had a blast swimming, playing in the sand and playground and lounging in the shade of the gazebos with a picnic lunch. Both kids got to break in their new suits and test out their swimming skills. Tyler kicked and doggy paddled while I held his waist and Jenna was happy as long as I didn't bob up and down in the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daisy

Jenna's fourth word: Daisy. She says it very clearly now, most of the time anyway. And she loves to pet and watch Daisy roll around.

pre-4th party

 

 

 

 

We headed out to Smithsburg for an early Fourth of July party at the Gillespie's. As we were backing down the driveway Tyler said, "Let's DO this!" as he pulled on his shades. Hilarious! A fun start to the trip.

It was great to see our friends, relax and eat yummy food. You know that it has definitely been too since we've seen each other when their pre-teen daughter didn't even recognize us! :)

stacking up

Don't worry, I got it!

I can't tell you how much she loves this stacking toy.

Look at those killer eyelashes!

sprinkler fun

 

6 years

Oma came over to watch the kids so we could go out to dinner to celebrate our six years of marriage. A quiet dinner for two is such bliss. Time to reflect on our time together, the beautiful family we have made and plan some of the fun things we hope to do in the future together.

 

fun at the dentist

Do other children love going to the dentist? Tyler loves to look at the coffee table fish tank and he loves to get his pencil and sticker reward for sitting still in the dentist's chair. I hope I can keep up the positive association with dentist visits!

 

 

 

blowing kisses

Pucker up buttercup. Jenna is blowing kisses!

happy daddy day

ok, so I meant to say "unintelligible," but the video is the cutest.

For Alex's first father's day I got him a double photo montage of Tyler (photos of Alex and me that make up a larger print of Tyler's image). For this "Daddy's Day" I got him a double photo montage of Jenna.

ba bye!

I wanted to capture Jenna's giggles on video and by the end I had accidentally caught Jenna's third word!

cowboying

Tyler asked today, "Daddy, you want to go cowboying?" What this really means is that I want a horsey ride on Daddy's back. :)

 

bikini babes

Do boys' hormones really kick in at 3? While looking at a store flier a few weeks ago, Tyler pointed at the girls in bras or bikinis and said, "I like her, Mommy. Oh I like that one Mommy." It didn't seem to matter their age or hair color, but only one girl was in a one-piece swimsuit.

"Why do you like them Tyler?"
"Because they are cute."
"What makes them cute?"
"Because I like them!"

Today he had me rewind the commercial so he could see again a girl in a purple bikini. "I like that I can see her belly," he said. Look out ladies!!

welcome ryan kaye

Our neighbors and new friends, Katherine and Eric, welcomed their first child on June 2. On this day I was able to meet Baby Ryan. Were my babies ever this small? It was hard to even imagine Jenna, just a year ago, at that size (smaller actually)!

I had the privilege of sitting and chatting with the new mom and holding this adorable and peaceful baby. He was so comfortable in fact that he peed on me. Small price to pay to cuddle with that cute little bundle. I'm looking forward to the near future when Tyler and Jenna are able to meet Ryan.

12th tooth

Jenna's top left molar tooth has finally popped through! So her first set of four molars are all in place.

donkey watch

Probably the single best happy meal toy has been Tyler's Shrek Donkey watch. It is huge and ridiculous and perfect in the eyes of a 3 1/2 year old. His favorite part about it, which he will share with anyone without prompting, is that its eyes move and you have to pull the mouth down to reveal the time. Isn't he cute showing off his cool watch?

jem

Jem was one of my favorites cartoons in the 80s about a female rock star. A staple of her look was really dramatic eye makeup that covered her eyelid, went up to her eyebrow and protruded out toward her temple. Jenna is now rocking the look, and without out the help of Cover Girl. Her eye boo boo is bright pink and dark purple and very similar to Jem's.

old macdonald had a...

To settle Jenna down while in the car, Tyler started to sing "Old MacDonald had a farm and on that farm he had a helicopter..." That is SO Tyler!

snuggles

While the kids play in the family room after dinner, I have been dedicated to my physical therapy exercises to rehabilitate my hamstring. I am lying on the floor doing leg lifts and Jenna comes over often and just rests her head on my chest and snuggles for a few moments. Precious!

whack!

Just a few minutes after putting Jenna to bed, I heard a thud and then crying. Alex checked on her and brought her back with the most disturbing boo boo. She somehow whacked her head (specifically at the end of her eyebrow) on the crib and it had swelled up greatly, was already blue and had a cut.

My first panicked thought was, "No, not another set of stitches for a child of mine!" But I could tell she did not need them. We tried as best as possible to hold a cold compress on it, but it was hard as she danced and clapped to the music on TV. LOL! She was over it quickly.

steps keep coming

Jenna has really taken to walking. She took several more steps again late yesterday and then she even teetered my way down the hall from Miss Deb's playroom when we picked her up from daycare. It seems walking is here to stay.

Tyler took his first steps two weeks earlier than Jenna, but he didn't finally take to walking until two weeks after Jenna.