The Gouldie Zone

September Update

2011-09-05T21:18:00.000-04:00

My poor, ignored blog! Cannot believe it's been since late June that I updated.

School is in full swing here, this week will be their 4th full week. It's been a bit of an adjustment for all three, but mostly for Michael and Emily. A full day of Kindergarten is a lot. We leave the house at 7:25, and the bus brings them home at 2:35. If they rode the bus to school as well, we would have to leave the house at 6:45....that is just too early for all of us.

They are in separate classes, I am asked this all the time. In GA, it is the law that the parents decide whether or not to separate. Keeping them together was never even a consideration for us. We did it in preschool, but that was because there was only one class for the days/times/age group. I do not feel that they miss each other, on the contrary, they actually love being in their own rooms, with their own teachers and own new friends to make. It is fun to hear them compare what each class did that day, what special they had, what song they sang. They do see each other at lunch and at recess, and they see Sophie periodically as well. It is my firm belief that they are two very different children, and as such, should be allowed to be on their own, just like any singleton would be. And finally, having gone to school as the 8th Maier in a line of 9 Maiers, I do know what it is like being compared to a sibling(s). They have big shoes to fill as Sophie is very well known at school, they don't need to constantly be compared to their twin sibling as well.

It is funny to hear what they have to say about school. For awhile Emily was telling me her teacher was mean, which I know is not the case. She was also telling me that they didn't go to recess or lunch, so you see how much stock you can put in a tired 5 year old's rendition of the day! She did surprise me last week when she decided she wanted a playdate with the boy who lives at the bus stop before ours, and got off the bus early. A bit of chaos ensued, but I knew the mother and Michael told me where she was. The bus driver did get his you know what handed to him by the assistant principal however...not good letting a 5 year old off at the wrong stop.

Michael is blossoming. I knew he would do fine socially, he is the Mayor after all. But now he is more willing to try new things academically. His writing is much better than what it was, and more importantly, he seems to LIKE writing! He actually asks to practice. This is a huge jump from last year when he would tell his teacher, "I'll finish it later." His positive attitude is so refreshing, I wish his sisters could have a just a tiny bit of it! He wants to buy lunch...every day. Does not matter what it is....his response is the same:, "I love that Mom, I want to buy lunch today." Sophie will try to talk him out of it, and I tell her that he has to learn on his own. So far, he has not starved and each afternoon tells me with pride what he picked out for himself. I can't wait to join them for lunch one day to see him in action.

And then there is Sophie, the child that can already drive me crazy, but then stun me with her need for her "Mommy". Oh, how I hope we make it through the next few years!! She has yet another really young teacher, Ms. Rosa is 23 and this is her first full time class. I had the opportunity to get to know her better this week as I chaperoned their trip to the Fire Safety Village. (Which BTW, if you ever get a chance to go, please do, I was much impressed and not just b/c Fireman Joel was easy on the eyes...so much great information for the kids). Ms. Rosa might be new, and she might be only an inch taller than some of her students, but nothing got by her. The kids listened to her, respected her, and I could tell they are motivated by her. I am sure I was not that together at 23, and I am sure you would not have wanted me shaping your child's mind. So a good year for Sophie so far. I am glad this year she has joined Chorus. I suggested it, then held my breath and waited. As any mother can tell you, you can only suggest one time. The more you tell them how great it is, the more they turn away from it. She had her first rehearsal last week, and loved it. She was also picked for Art Club, which is a 5 week club that you get to be in once in your time at TR. I really wasn't sure how she would like that, Art is not her strong suit. Came into the car saying: "Mom, I don't like Art Club...I LOVE it!" It's nice to see her try new things and find that she does like them.

Open houses are this week, and like so many things this year at school, we will get to go both nights. I am enjoying this time of all three of them in the same school, only have that for 2 years total, then never again.

Fireflies/Lightning Bugs

2011-06-28T21:21:00.001-04:00

Which do you call them? I don't think it really matters what you call them. To me, they invoke all sorts of memories of playing kickball and SPUD while we waited for the streetlights to come on. That was always our signal it was time to come inside.

Tonight Emily worked hard on her habitat, so hard I wasn't sure there was going to actually be room for any bugs. But she made it work. Terry and I loved watching her experience this. One of the best parts of parenthood is watching your kids make some of the memories you love from your own childhood.

Recital and other things

2011-05-03T23:03:00.001-04:00

Emily's first recital was this weekend. She did a great job, despite missing the dress rehearsal due to Michael's strep and Sophie's soccer game. Terry had to coach, and I didn't think leaving a vomiting child with a sitter was the right call. The morning of the recital just Sophie and I went to Mass, Michael was still contagious and I didn't feel like getting Emily all ready. Sophie was an altar server, and fainted about 3/4 of the way through Mass. There is nothing like seeing your daughter sprawled out on the floor to make you move faster than you ever have before. I honestly don't even remember getting to the altar; one minute I was kneeling next to my mother, the next I was kneeling beside Sophie. She really didn't know what had happened, she thought she had fallen asleep. A wonderful parishioner, Keven, who is also an EMT helped me get her off the altar. He really took great care of her. I am First Aid and CPR certified for Girl Scouts, but I was trying to be the mother, not the doctor. I got her home, and she rested and re-hydrated the rest of the afternoon. However by recital time she still wasn't feeling great and even though she didn't want to, decided to stay home. I took these photos of Emily before we left.

First time I have ever attempted a bun, pretty darn proud of myself! And Emily too, she is way more cooperative than the other female child in our family.....

She had picked this daisy from our neighbor's yard and held it during all the photos.

You can dress her like a ballerina, but really, she is still the same tomboy underneath.

There was only one glitch at the recital....while we were all waiting for Emily's group to take the stage, they announced that there would be a short delay. I knew what was coming, and then I saw it: One of the teachers leading Emily across and down the stage to the restrooms. I had been so hopeful that her potty issues would not spoil this for her. I got up and met her in the restroom, and 15 minutes later she emerged and the show continued. She did great on stage, but did tell me that next year she just wants to do the gymnastics part, no dance.

To top off the evening, Pam and I took the kids to El Porton, Em's favorite restaurant. From there I called Terry to check on Sophie. He told me she had fallen asleep right after I left and had slept for 2 hours. And that was good because he was busy vomiting. Awesome! When I arrived home he and Sophie were watching TV, and I can't tell you who looked more pitiful. Sophie was feverish, and Terry was miserable. I told them I would help out once I got the twins in bed. As I was reading them a story Sophie came in and perched on Michael's bed. She then gave me a funny look....and threw up. Then ran down the hall to the bathroom and did it again.

So...it's been quite a weekend, but we are all feeling better now. I am starting to get that tickle in the back of my throat, I think Emily has passed me her cold. But as Terry pointed out, "Hey, at least you're not vomiting!" Gotta agree with that!

Easter Day

2011-04-24T23:07:00.001-04:00

Happy Easter to all my faithful readers!!

So I am back on FB as of last night, even though Pam deemed that a wee bit too early....and wow, it's great to be back, but I have to say I really enjoyed the break. Not only from a time perspective, but a clarity perspective. When I logged on and all the ads and page updates hit, it was like watching TV with only commercials. And since I only ever watch DVR'd TV, I never have to deal with commercials. The break has certainly made me rethink my usage of FB, and what I choose to view. And how often I choose to view it...I think that will be the biggest difference.

Today was an interesting day, we were up early, the kids were a bit crazy from starting their day with jelly beans and malted eggs. And of course, there was the inevitable squabbling. Is there a family out there whose kids don't compare who got what? If so, I'd like to meet them, because that is so not my kids. I hope this is something they will outgrow, the quicker the better. How do you teach them to be happy with what they have, and to not worry about what others have?

We made it to Mass an hour before it began, which gave us time to get our normal seats and save room for my parents. And time for me to capture the following shots of Sophie, who was serving her first Mass with her friend Colby.

You'll be happy to know they were much more reverent during the actual Mass, this was beforehand in the dressing room. The other kids were asking if they were brother and sister because not only do they look alike, they bicker like siblings. They have similar personalities (both are right ALL THE TIME) so they really know how to push each other's buttons. And that is why I love Colby, he doesn't let Sophie get away with anything, and she needs that! Sophie did a great job, she didn't even look nervous. Seeing her come down the aisle was a rewarding moment for me. So often you wonder if what you say and do has an impact. Knowing that she was excited to serve at Church made me hope that yes, she is getting the message that we are working hard to instill.

We were fortunate to have all the grandparents come over in the afternoon for dinner. It was nice to sit on the pollen free deck (thanks to Terry) and enjoy the beautiful day. And the MANY eggs that our own Easter Bunny Terry had hidden for the kids.

Nana, Terry and the kids waiting to start the hunt.

Pure excitement, I love this shot.

Poser!

It was hard to get a clear shot of Emily, she was on a mission...to get the most eggs!

Paparazzi.

I tried out the panoramic feature on my camera while the kids were digging into their baskets this morning. I did this so I could give my husband props. We are fortunate to have a great backyard, but it would not be so without his many hours of sweat equity. So here's a shout out to you Ter: THANKS for working so hard to give us a beautiful place to play and unwind.

And speaking of my talented husband, can you guess which egg below was his? Admit it, who else likes to make "the ugly egg"?

Brownie Sprites Weekend

2011-03-28T21:43:00.001-04:00

This weekend I had the pleasure of going "camping" with 8 nine year olds and one other Girl Scout leader. I put the quote marks around camping because we stayed at an actual Girl Scout Camp, in a cabin with bunks, a flush toilet and shower. When Terry goes Father/Daughter camping each Fall with Sophie, they tent camp. They do have bathhouses, but they are a distance away. So mostly they use the port a potties. Not me. Just having to climb to the top bunk is rustic enough by my standards.

You can see how shy and demure our troop is......

Making no sew fleece pillows. Loved this craft, will do it for Emily when she gets a bit older.

Sophie and Natalie canoeing. I was amazed at how confident they were on the water. Sheila and I brought our camp chairs and got a bit of reading in between the raindrops while they were on the water. They had counselors and a lifeguard out in canoes with them, certainly didn't need us out there as well.

Waiting to put on their skit at the Saturday night talent show.

I really enjoyed being with the troop and seeing how mature they have become. This is their 3rd year as Brownies and when we saw some first year troops in the dining hall,we could really tell how far our girls have come. I am so thankful for the influence of Girl Scouts in Sophie's life. It's still the same good, clean fun that it was when I was growing up. She will go to this same camp for a two night session this summer. I still have fond memories of my summer GS camp time, I hope the same for her.

PW!!! MM!!!!

2011-03-12T22:14:00.001-05:00

Last night was a bit of a departure for me...Sylvia and I attended a book signing at Border's in Buckhead. What book, you ask? Why it was Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, by none other than Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman. I have been following her blog for a few years now, and have made many of her recipes. She is a an awesome cook, wonderful writer, and just all around funny person. The kind of person that makes you think, "Wow, I could be friends with her...if only she didn't live in the middle of Oklahoma." Meeting her only confirmed that feeling, she was warm and down to earth and spent about 5 minutes talking to me and Sylvia....and all the other hundreds of mostly women who had waited for their chance to meet her. She posed for a few pictures as well. I did not bring my camera, didn't want to seem like a dork. (Note to self: next time bring a camera so you don't have to ask your new best friend Emily who stood behind you for 2 hours in line to take a picture on your phone.) She joked with us about not being puffy from the traveling, how her boys enjoyed the hotel pool, how MM would love to come to dinner with us and eat a steak. She never seemed rushed, even though she had been signing books for 2 hours by the time we got to her, and had at least 3 more hours to go.

And we also got to meet MM. Who is MM? That would be Marlboro Man, aka Ladd Drummond, her husband and consummate cowboy. Here he is, and may I note that when I texted this photo to my sister Mary, she asked for one taken a bit lower, and from the other side...if you know what I mean. He does know how to wear his Wranglers and as Sylvia pointed out, "He is the real deal honey, I'm from Texas and I can tell you that is a true cowboy!" Love Sylvia, she always tells it like it is.

You can just see the belt buckle of their oldest son in the background, and to the right of MM their younger son. Two very sweet, well behaved boys who read books and answered any questions people asked of them. I didn't engage them at all, that felt kind of weird to me. But I did try and sneak a picture of them, plus give Mary the view she was looking for:

And of course he signed our books as well, and posed with us, such a nice guy.

And here we are with Ree, again not the best shot, but it was on my phone.

A fun night, capped off by dinner at The Buckhead Diner, which I had never been to before. Oh my...very good. Had to take a shot of their homemade chips with homemade blue cheese dressing, I am not ashamed to say we licked this plate clean!

Sophie saw this picture and asked, "Oh man Mom, did you have funnel cake without me??" Ummm, no!

So go ahead and check out The Pioneer Woman, you will not be disappointed.

Facebook-Friend or Foe?

2011-03-09T21:32:00.000-05:00

I'm ashamed to say that it's been so long since I have updated my blog that I had to look up the password. Pathetic! How did it come to this, I used to love blogging. I think there are a few reasons why it's not on my priority list anymore. When my blog started, my kids were little. And by little I mean Sophie was 4 and Michael and Emily were 5 ms old. Sophie went to preschool, the babies napped, and I wrote. It was a sure way to keep my sanity in those incredibly insane days.

My days are still pretty busy, but not in the same way. Now they are busy with two preschoolers and a 3rd grader. That means play dates, gymnastics, PSR, Brownies, soccer, IEP meetings, media center duty, field trip chaperone. Throw in the occasional case of strep throat, the beginnings of orthodontia, and you have one mother who is not really home as often as she would like to be.

But I do think the biggest detriment to my blogging has been Facebook. Not Facebook itself, but rather, my usage of Facebook. Because let's face it (no pun intended), if I can post 25 words that elicit 10 comments, as opposed to putting together a blog post complete with captioned pictures that might elicit one comment....ummmm, which do you think I am going to do?? I used to get lots of comments on my blog, but that was before FB. Of course, I used to check many blogs on a daily basis, that was also before FB. Now I can easily keep up with these same folks all in one place.

But the point of blogging is not to see how many people think you are brilliant and want to comment. My original reason for blogging was to pass on information about my two premature babies in a time saving way. It grew from there as our family underwent some changes, and blogging became a refuge for me. Still a way to connect, but also a way to have something concrete, something that was all mine and that made sense. Life is so much better now, but does that mean that I should give up blogging? I don't think so, because it still can mean something to me. And maybe that's what I am attempting to figure out. Yes, I know I will still share about the kids and post pictures of them. But I am also hoping to see what else comes of blogging. Not quite sure what direction I am heading in, but I feel in time that answer will come.

I posted on FB yesterday that I was giving it up for Lent, which began today. And so far, so good. I even turned off the email notifications, so I really have no idea what is happening in the FB world. I am sure my East Cobb peeps are all abuzz over the school board's latest decision to table any further discussion about the 2011-2012 calendar. Who knows what else I have missed, but I do know that anything really important I will hear about, in person, from people that I actually know in real life. I am not dissing FB, but it can give you a false sense of intimacy. When I walk into preschool at 9:30 am, I already know what my friends there have had for breakfast, what trouble their kids have gotten into, or what their schedule for the day is, because I have already checked FB at least once. Because of this, our conversations are much shorter, or even non existent. Is that a bad thing? Maybe not considering many of them are busy parents like me, and a few of them are teachers as well, trying to corral their own classes. FB has it's place, but I was starting to use it IN place of real life encounters, and that doesn't sit well with me.

At Mass tonight, Fr. Henry encouraged us to give up something for Lent that has become a distraction to our real purpose for being here. Something that has been keeping us from a closer relationship with God. He talked about how we are not to become too attached to what we have in this world, that as humans our time on Earth is finite, and our main concern should be what will happen to our soul when our time here is over. I do think that for me, FB has become a major distraction. I check it many times a day, and once the kids are in bed, I can be on it for an hour without even realizing it. What better things could I do with that time? My mind becomes so cluttered with all the posts that I read, I find myself thinking about them during the day, wondering who has commented, what they said, etc. When your child does something funny, and the first thought that pops into your head is "Wow, that would make a really funny post." .....I think you might have a problem. Or even worse, when something happens in the life of your 9 yr old and she says to you, "But don't put that on FB Mom!"...you may have a problem. Embarrassing, but true.

I am hopeful that by removing this distraction for awhile, I will become focused on more important things. Will I miss it?? I already do, but today was a much calmer day for me, and I didn't feel as scattered as I normally do. This morning I did my WII training for 35 minutes, then ran/walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill. I still had time to shower and do a couple loads of laundry before going back to school for pick up. Any other day I would have come home from taking the kids to school and would have logged on before starting any other project. It really was freeing to just walk right by the computer.

And a note for my mil Pam.....I think the funniest thing Michael said today was during Mass, after we received Communion. "How come you get to eat in church and I don't? " The two older ladies sitting next do us thought that was darn funny.

Shameless Photo Album of Christmas

2010-12-29T22:43:00.003-05:00

This is going to be a long post with a ton of photos. You've been warned. This post is really for people like Aunt Karen and Uncle Jack, who couldn't be with us on Christmas, and who love my kids like they are their own. And also for my friend Patrice, whose kids are now teenagers. She has helped me realize it does go SO fast, and that all the work is worth it. I wanted them to see the happiness of our Christmas morning, so here it is!

Before heading to Noche Buena at Marilyn's, Terry and the kids decorated the gingerbread house. I was very proud of my husband, he relinquished control and let the kids help. It's a Christmas miracle!!

My handsome man at Marilyn's

Terry and his mini-me

Waiting for the OK to come downstairs on Christmas morning.

Lily's final hiding spot

It was Michael's turn this year to put Baby Jesus in the manger.

I think Emily likes the Barbie Sophie gave her.

Check it out Mom, Emily's dollhouse even has a TOILET!

Terry's super cool hat with under the brim lighting. G'pa Maier got one too.

Oh my gosh...is it...can it be???

YEEEESSSSS!!! It's Lanie!

Michael gets tools just like Daddy's. Even has his own safety goggles now.

Who says the Batcave is just for boys?

Emily's not too sure about whatever it was Grandma was saying.

Me and Michael

Michael and Nana

Snow on Christmas Day in GA. Last year that happened was 1882!

Got on my new footed pj's, laying on my pillow pet and playing with Michael's Leapster. Yeah, life is good!!

Getting our Christmas On

2010-12-10T21:16:00.000-05:00

Tree trimming can either be the picture perfect event that you might see on a Hallmark Card...or not. Ours fell somewhere in between, but more toward the Hallmark Card. That's because Terry did the hard parts while the kids were in school. Hard parts would include bringing it from the garage to the front door, positioning it in the stand while I hold it (never fun for me), getting tree through front door and into front room. Deciding which side looks best, trimming top and getting star to stay on top. Then shimming up the side that makes it lean. And lastly, stringing the lights. So much easier without the running commentary of us telling the kids "hold on, we can decorate it in just a minute, no you can't help right now, PLEASE put the loping shears down"...And of course if the occasional iffy word DOES fly, no little ears are around to hear it. This could be our new tradition in years to come.

So, the kids came home, and the excitement of opening the ornaments began. It's always fun to unwrap each ornament and remember where each one came from. Now that our kids are older, they understand there was a time before them, and they do enjoy hearing about Mom and Dad dating, being single, or ornaments left from their childhood. Emily showed me a crocheted angel and told me how pretty she thought it was. I told her that her Aunt Clare had made it. Her eyes grew wide and she asked, "You mean, she sew-ded it?" I told her yes, and that did she remember that was where her middle name came from? She was Emily Clare after her Aunt Clare. She walked back to the tree to hang the angel saying to herself, "Emily Clare, Aunt Clare, Emily Clare, Aunt Clare." Makes those we miss seem not so far away when we can remember them and teach our kids about them.

Thankful

2010-11-28T13:17:00.000-05:00

What a great Thanksgiving week this has been. I have so much to be thankful for, too many things to list out here. But I'll try...my husband and children, my parents and in laws, my siblings and their families. Good health for myself and those I love. My friends who enrich my life in so many ways. The school communities that teach, support and encourage my children. Last but not least, I am thankful for the challenges God has thrown my way. Without them, I would not have grown into the person I am today. At the time, they were anything but welcome, but in hindsight, they served a purpose. Today my life is so much better for the many lessons I have learned.

Some pictures from the past few weeks:

Mike with the supplies for "Bill's Nuts"

Grant and Terry loading up the bin with freshly roasted nuts.

Our dear friend Bill. 94 years young!

Bill filling one of the many jars.

Emily helping by handing him the jars.

M and Em sitting on Bill's "Johnny Walker".


Flowers we received for Thanksgiving. Sent by my husband's new boss to welcome him to the company. Could be my favorite part of Thanksgiving!!

The Real Deal

2010-11-20T21:51:00.003-05:00

Michael and Emily had a "real" birthday party this year, meaning we invited friends, instead of a family only party at home. They are the first to turn 5 in their class, so it was a pretty big deal. We went with the party in a park, and I would do this same party again next year. The weather was picture perfect, 75 degrees and sunny. The playground was empty except for us, and the kids were totally entertained. Add a bunch of chatty moms, a veggie tray, chips and salsa and a birthday cake, and life is good.

The funniest event of the party had to be the pinata. No sissy pull string deal for my kids, I wanted them all taking a whack. 20 four year olds, a few 7-9 year olds, 2 on the edge birthday kids and one swinging shark. Thankfully Kathleen was there in teacher mode to direct the kids. No one lost any body parts, except for the shark, of course.

Terry and I are wondering if we have insurance to cover serious injuries

Sophie helps Emily by trying to hold it for her

My sweet Michael, what happened to him??

Didn't know he had it in him

Take that, Mr. Shark!


And of course, the candy frenzy always leaves someone crying...... (And a big shout out to Niki for these pics, they are great! No offense KK....)

I want to ride my bicycle.....

2010-11-04T21:22:00.000-04:00

Michael and Emily got new (to them) bikes for their birthdays. They are small two wheelers with training wheels. It is hilarious to see them hop up and ride. Especially with the helmets, that really completes the picture. I was happy that they took to them right away with no hesitation. Here's Michael looking like a pro:

I was helping Emily balance, so it was harder for me to get a still shot of her, but here is a brief video of her attempt to navigate the culdesac. The difficult thing about our street is the slope of it, even our driveway has a slight slope that will spell disaster for a new rider. We will have to take them to a flat area to really work on turning and braking skills. That's as much for them as it is for me, makes me nervous when they get up too much speed....

Here's another one of Michael, he was apparently telling me about some trick he did on his tricycle, but I wasn't paying attention to that, as evidenced by my surprise at the end.

Halloween Happenings

2010-11-03T23:18:00.000-04:00

We had a great Halloween this year. I was never really into it as a single adult. I did enjoy it more once we moved into our house, handing out candy was a lot of fun. In fact, I've been handing out candy to these 3 since they were toddlers. And look at them now! I remember when they wore costumes like Simba from the Lion King, or Thomas the Train. I did think it was funny that they are in 7th-9th grade, and they were waiting on the doorstep for me to get home from the neighbors so I could give them candy. The guy in the middle is our babysitter, the kids LOVE him.

Once again Terry did a great job with the kids (or maybe I should say despite the kids) on the pumpkins. He has each of them draw the face they want him to carve, then he tries his best to duplicate that. I may be biased, but I think he is pretty talented.

Oh, you probably want to see the kids too, right? Here they are, Batman, Blue Pixie and Pink Skeleton. Thank you Kathleen and WalMart.

It's becoming our tradition to forgo the neighborhood pizza chaos and go instead to Michel and Sylvia's for pre-trick or treat chili and other yummy stuff. This year our new friend Malin (just moved back from Sweden) brought some witch's brew, which the kids and adults thought was really cool. Apparently it didn't taste great, but they didn't care, they were more interested in seeing the smoke.

Our neighbor Alex decided to be Robin once he heard Michael was going as Batman. They were cute together. We are so glad to have him on our street, he will be going to K next year with my guys. More bus buddies!

I actually got a friend to take a picture of me and Terry, have to start doing that more often. Thanks Sylvia for loaning me the cute pumpkin headband.

The crew right before heading out, they were chomping at the bit at this point, there was much yelling involved to get this photo.

Michael and Emily lasted about 40 minutes trick or treating. Michael took several spills with his cape and after the last one, told Terry he was done. They were very happy to help hand out candy, and even called out to the kids, "Hey, trick or treater, come and get your candy!"

Who could resist these two?

Nine is nifty, but still sometimes not so nice.....

2010-10-25T22:01:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Sophie's birthday party with her friends. When we were planning it, I knew I did not want to spend a lot of money, and was racking my brain to come up with something that would still be fun. We decided to try The Picture Show, which everyone I know refers to as "The Dollar Movie Theater". This could be one of the best ideas I have had in a long time. The price was so much less than any other "party place", the staff was great to work with, and the girls had a great time. We met in the party room an hour before the movie, Sophie opened her gifts and the girls had cake and ice cream. Then each of them got a kid's pack (small popcorn, drink and candy) and we were off to our reserved seats in the theater to see Toy Story 3, which was great. (Even though I did miss the last 10 minutes because one of our guests could not hold it. But I'm not bitter.)

Sophie was a great hostess, making sure all the girls had what they needed. She was also impressive opening her gifts, she took the time to thank each girl, and had them come sit with her for a photo op. The enthusiasm and genuineness of girls of this age is something to witness. There is no cattiness, no hierarchy. They all really like each other and that is nice to see.

With friends Caroline, Natalie and Lauren

Wanted everyone to see the sweet card

Ann Amelia and Soph

Cool peace sign purse, filled with more fun stuff

Emily sneaking in some help with the candles

The only glitch in the day...Sophie's birthday presents are all currently in my bedroom closet. She will earn them back one by one as she demonstrates respect and kindness toward her siblings and her parents. After arriving home from the party, there were, shall we say..issues around letting our siblings see what we got, and attitude, selfishness and complete disregard for others reared it's ugly head. Am hoping this will make an impact. That will make being the mean mother all worth it.

Random-ness

2010-10-14T20:47:00.000-04:00

Not really in the mood for a big long post, but did want to share these random photos that I just downloaded from my phone. Terry surprised me with a new phone about two months ago, it is very early Christmas and birthday present. Combined. Which he knows is not allowed, but in this case, I will make an exception. The phone is great, I can check email on it, surf the web (although quite slowly) text MUCH faster since I now have a QWERTY keyboard....all new stuff for me. Plus the camera is as good, and sometimes better, than my regular digital camera. Sophie loves it as she is able to take pictures and video ALL THE TIME. If it is missing, I know who has it. I love it b/c being able to check my email from the phone is a huge time saver. Any activity that I or the kids are involved in does all their communication over email. Being able to stay in touch without having to be at home is great. Now when I do get home after school, I don't have to run upstairs to check my email, it's already done.

OK, so maybe I did have a bit to say. Those who know me are not surprised.

Papa Bill's Shopping List, a Saturday tradition.

At Roswell Area Park, this was in September.

Pole slider

Favorite new neighbors, Hanna and Hailey. Sophie falls right in the middle of them.

Redneck fun in the backyard.

My dad made this stool for Sophie's teacher, it is a beauty, and she loves it.

One of her many self portraits

Green Iguana

First time on a school bus, on our way to the Fall Festival at Timber Ridge.

Did you want some??

7:30 am art project, it's never too early for a little glue and scissors in Emily's opinion.

Michael, you are TOO heavy!!


Sophie's bday lunch at school.

Back in Business!

2010-10-12T22:21:00.005-04:00

I haven't posted since July, just pitiful. And when I did come back to finally post, about a week ago, Blogger locked me out, b/c I couldn't remember my password. Even more pitiful.

Anyway, a lot to catch up on, but for today, just a few photos of Soph from last nights marvelous birthday dinner.

Sophie starts opening her gift, which is wrapped in a shoebox from Terry's last new pair of sneakers. It didn't occur to me that she would assume that's what her gift was, but she did. The look on her face was priceless. She looked at me and slowly said, "Sneakers....my gift is sneakers? Really?" She was trying so hard to be happy about that, but still incredulous that this was what we would get her.

Of course Terry and I had to run with it. He immediately said, "Well, you needed a new pair, didn't you?" I chimed in, "Times are tough, I think new sneakers will be very useful." She got quiet and kept on tearing the paper, and lo and behold....

Wii Mario Kart! Just what she wanted, imagine that! We all had fun playing that last night, and we also played tonight after the kids were in bed. Think I'm getting better.

A very happy birthday to my one of a kind daughter. I am so glad I have had these nine years with you, and look forward to seeing you grow and change in this year to come. Can't imagine what the future holds for you!

Fun on the 3rd and the 4th

2010-07-05T23:01:00.002-04:00

Sorry to see a great 4th of July weekend come to an end. We started on Saturday night with a cookout at the Belland's, then fireworks in our culdesac. It was so relaxed and easy. New neighbors were in the process of finishing up their kitchen remodel, so they could move in for good today. They have a teenager who was not with them, and a 4 year old son Alex, who was. Michael bonded with Alex immediately, and I can see this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. So neat that the three of them will start Kindergarten together, in Fall of 2011.

Last night we went to the picnic at church, which has a view of the Roswell Fireworks. It was a great show, but trying to keep track of Michael and Emily in the crowd of several hundred was not relaxing at all. I knew I could count on Emily to be on the playground, but Michael could be anywhere. Just find the family with the best cupcakes, sparklers, glow bracelets, etc.....that's where he was. The Mayor was working the crowd, and I was tired of losing him in the crowd. Next year we think we might just up the ante on our own neighborhood show, and forgo the big display.

My crew before heading down the street.

Sylvia, with her marvelous margarita machine.

Terry and Michel, working hard. Really, they were grilling, can't you tell?

I got a sparkler!

My favorite shot of the night. My husband lined the kids up and told them the rules of fireworks. Necessary for 4-8 yr olds, but don't they look thrilled?

Here's what they were really thinking during Terry's speech:

Michel entering the fire zone to start the show. Loved the cones, the kids never tried to cross them. Even several neighbors were scared to cross them...

Little kids: Alex, Emily, Kaylee and Michael

Big kids:Haley, Sophie, Hanna, Colby

Grand finale!

94 years young

2010-07-04T16:38:00.001-04:00

If you are my friend on Facebook (and face it, who wouldn't want to be??) then you know my kids have been sick with strep and a summer virus for going on three weeks. It has finally run it's course, and everyone has been without fever or sore throats for a few days now. It is so nice to have my happy children back!! They were never seriously ill, but just very lethargic and cranky, which tends to make Mom cranky as well.

Last weekend, even though Sophie was kind of iffy, we were able to go to Lake Hartwell for a couple of days to celebrate the 94th birthday of our dear friend Bill. It was great fun. We spent time in the water, on the boat and in the house playing a few cutthroat games of Yahtzee.

Here's Sophie with Papa Bill, as we all call him, with her new best friend Maggie. I was so glad when Maggie walked in the door, who, even though she is a rising college junior, was more than happy to hang out with Sophie.

Here

Here's Terry and the guys grilling our chicken for dinner, plus a shot of the dock and beautiful lake.

Singing Happy Birthday to Bill, I think Jeannie put at least 90 candles on the cake.

Bill has helped and counseled so many over the years, it is amazing what he can do at the age of 94. He is young at heart, and just an incredible gift to so many people. We love him!

And last, but definitely not least, a short video taken from the boat, of Sophie and Terry tubing together. Sophie was so anxious to do it by herself, but that was not nearly as much fun as when they rode together. She doesn't weigh enough to jump the wake.

The Week of the Dog

2010-06-05T22:21:00.004-04:00

We are puppy-sitting this week for our friends. Their 10 month old Cockapoo Rusty has been with us since Thursday afternoon, and he is a sweetheart of a dog. He does not chew, rarely barks and responds better to commands than some children I know...like my own. (Disclaimer on the picture below: It was taken at 7:45 am this morning, and Emily had picked out her own clothes. Her comment was "I am dressed in all flowlers, even my underwear, but not my shorts cause I couldn't find any of those with flowlers on them")

However....I still don't think I am a "dog person". I do like it when I come home and he runs to me, all excited to see me. But does this mean I want to get a dog of our very own? Honestly, I would have to say no. For as sweet and cuddly as Rusty is, and he IS sweet and cuddly, he is another living being that I am in charge of keeping alive and (relatively) happy.

Right now I already have 3 of those. The oldest is pretty self sufficient, but the younger two still need a good bit of attention. While I don't have to walk them several times a day, they still need help with the whole potty thing, teeth brushing, food cutting, bathing, etc.

So, for the time being, we are enjoying our visitor, but not looking to add to our responsibilities anytime soon. (Holly when you read this PLEASE do not be offended, Rusty is an AWESOME dog and we have loved having him....it's just that now I know how much work it actually is.)

So I am choosing to embrace this part of me (the non dog person for the time being) and go with it. I don't think it makes me a bad person, but rather a person who knows her limitations. Better to know that before adopting the dog rather than after.

And another thing I learned....it's really hard to take a picture of kids plus dog and have all of them in focus!

My sister Clare

2010-05-27T10:59:00.014-04:00

16 years ago today, my oldest sister Clare lost her battle with (non smokers) lung cancer. She was 41 years old, and left behind a husband, an 11 yr old son, and an 8 year old daughter. At the time I was single and 28, and while I mourned for them and me, I had no idea what it meant to be a parent. Of course I knew my parents were sad, this was their firstborn, and even though they had 8 others, one child cannot replace another. It wasn't until Sophie was born that I had a tiny glimpse of how they must have felt. And still do feel, it's not something you ever get over. It gets easier, but it is always there.

Clare died 3 weeks after Carly's First Communion. That was on my mind a lot earlier this month as I prepared for Sophie's. What must she have been feeling, sewing Carly's dress, and making all the last minute preparation, all the while feeling horrible? Of course, we didn't know had badly she was feeling until a few weeks later, when she went into the hospital for the last time. True to form, she pressed on, trying to make everything right for her family. At the time, I didn't get that; now I do. She was a mother and the well being of her children came first.

I have so many memories of that last hospital stay, sleeping in those ridiculous chairs each night with Mary, trying to get comfortable and get the blanket around us, without having the chair snap shut on us. That little thing made us laugh, which was a relief from the reality of the situation. My other siblings and their husbands, wives and fiances arriving, one by one, and the memories we got to share before she left us. My brother Tom "getting in touch with his feminine side" by wearing her peach sweater because it was so cold in the hospital room. It sounds strange, but her death was peaceful, surrounded by her husband Tom, her parents, and all 8 of us. In that room I learned not to fear death; that it could be peaceful, and that it could be a release from suffering.

Life goes on, of course. And everyone deals with grief in their own way. My dad spent that summer putting a bay window in the kitchen of my parent's home. My mom spent a lot of time in Jonesboro, cooking for Tom and the kids, and trying to keep their life as normal as possible. I remember going to daily Mass a lot, it was a comfort to me, and I had my friends to lean on. My own family never knew Clare, I met Terry about 2 years after she died, and of course my kids only know her from photos. Emily has her middle name, and I like that. Every time I have to call her by her full name, I smile, knowing that her namesake was just as spunky. Probably never a rule breaker like Emily, but certainly full of ambitions and dreams.

Frank and Carly are now young adults and it makes me proud to see all they have accomplished. I can see so much of her in them, and it never ceases to amaze me. Frank was recently engaged and I look forward to sharing that special day with him. Carly just graduated from college and is starting out on a new path as well. I don't get to see them as often as I would like, but when I do, it is like time never passed.

This morning after swim team I got out these old pictures and the kids were enthralled when I told them the stories behind them. Sophie is old enough to have some grasp of death, but sweet Michael asked me incredulously, "You mean she's dead, and she'll be dead forever?? Oh NO!" Nothing like a child's innocence to cut right to the heart of the matter.

These pictures are just some of the happy times of her life, they made me smile, and I hope they make you smile too.

From left: Clare, Mary, Peg and me. This photo wasn't dated, but I look to be about 2 years old, which would make Peg 11, Mary 12 and Clare 14. I'm betting this was Easter Sunday, we were living in Pompton Plains, NJ at the time.

Again this photo is also undated, but if Michael was about a year old, then I was 7, which would make my brother Bill (far right)10, and Clare would be 19. The year would be around 1972. I do remember driving down to Glassboro with my parents to take her to college. I thought going away to college was so glamorous. Years later when I was away at school and she was a young mother with 2 toddlers she wrote me often, sent a few dollars, pictures from the kids and cookies whenever she got the chance.

Dancing with our father at her wedding to Tom Aquino, February 24, 1979. I remember so many details about that day vividly. The fact that it was sleeting, and the reception hall had antlers on one wall, which turned out to be right above she and Tom in the family photo that was taken. My 3 sisters and all their very large hair....and me in my braces and huge glasses walking down the aisle at Holy Spirit in our rose dresses that they had made by hand. The arguments between us about the fabric and pattern choices. And we did it all again 3 years later when Mary got married.

I'm not sure if this was taken in NJ or GA, seems like it would be GA. Carly looks about 5, which would make Frank 10. Probably about 1991. Tom and Clare moved down to Jonesboro when Tom changed jobs. It was nice to have them closer, just an hour away from my parents and me.

This was is definitely in Ga, it's dated February 1993. We were at one of Frank's basketball games, and Peg and I had made signs on grocery bags saying GO FRANK!!, anything to gain attention. I think Clare was trying to start the wave in this picture. She had been diagnosed already and was going through treatment, but this must have been during remission. I love the smile on her face.

This is one of my all time favorite pictures of her and Carly. This is at Car's First Communion, and now I know what this day meant to Clare. So many emotions, and more so given what was going on with her. I remember helping her plan the party, and going into Publix a week or so before to order the tray of cannolis. She was adamant that they be authentic...or as authentic a cannoli that you can get in Jonesboro, GA. The dress she made for Carly was a labor of love. My mother recently told me how she changed the pattern the way she wanted it, and added details that weren't originally there.

Now that I am a wife and mother, and now that I am in my 40's, I understand so much more. At 28, someone who was 41 seemed to have lived a life already. Now I know that her life was well lived, but it was not long enough.

Sophie's First Communion

2010-05-09T20:59:00.007-04:00

Yesterday was a wonderful day. So many times you can be disappointed with a day that you have been looking forward to for a long time. There was none of that yesterday...at all. From the moving Mass where Sophie received Jesus for the first time, to the party afterward; it was a truly wonderful day.

I found myself worrying about the details in the days leading up to it, that is typical for me. I stayed up late on Friday night to make sure all the little things were taken care of. Mary was here helping me, and I could not have pulled it off without her. Or without Terry. He is not only incredibly helpful in so many ways, but he is always there to reassure me and calm me down when I start to panic. He can see the big picture so much better than I can at times.

So many people were able to be with us and make the day extra special. Even Sophie's teacher came, which honestly, was the highlight of the guest list for her. It is all she talked about in the days leading up Saturday, and it even inspired her to keep her room clean. It goes to show what an influence a child's teacher can have on them. Knowing that her teacher is Catholic and knew all about First Communion had a huge impact on her understanding of the sacrament, and how universal it is. Thank you Miss McDonald!

Our friend and neighbor Rick did us an invaluable service by coming over at 8:45am to take family photos before we left for Mass. I cannot tell you what a gift this was! It totally put my mind at ease about having to try and take pictures myself, because I knew Rick got some great shots. Here's some of his work:

With me and Aunt Mary, who is Sophie's Godmother.

Below is my absolute favorite of the day, and ironically enough, it was the first photo he snapped of Sophie.

And some of my pictures taken after we got home. Note the difference!

Our great friends and neighbors Sylvia and Michel had a table for 4 with Michael and Emily.

Their son Colby is a great friend to Sophie. He also made his First Communion yesterday, and had the honor of bringing up the gifts. He did so well and looked so handsome in his jacket and tie, it brought a tear to my eye. And yes, I did get choked up presenting Sophie to Fr. Peter, Terry and I both were wiping our eyes as she received.

Sophie and her best bud Noah. He sat through the entire Mass with his mom, and was so excited to see her, it was very sweet. So glad they have remained so close all these years.

With Grandpa and Grandma Maier. My mother was a Eucharistic Minister during the Mass, which gave her a great view as each child came up to receive with their parents.

With the Gould family. Uncle Jack and Aunt Karen came home early from FL to make sure they didn't miss it. We are glad to have them back in Atlanta!

And lastly, my apologies to my mother in law Pam. She made the very early start from Peachtree City to be with us for the day, and I did not get a decent picture of her with Sophie. I am hoping she has a shot on her camera that is decent.

The Wannabe

2010-04-16T21:13:00.003-04:00

The other morning Michael brought me Sophie's guitar and put on a show. I was wondering where he got his moves until I showed the video to Terry and he burst out laughing. He and Michael had been watching old Who videos on YouTube. I guess this is Michael's rendition of Pete Townsend. Although Pete did not have to contend with the pesky strap like Michael did...

March Madness

2010-03-29T21:28:00.006-04:00

March is almost over, and I am really ready for Spring. I've never minded winter, especially since moving South, but am tired of being cooped up. We have had a few days where we've been able to be outside all day, and what a difference that has made. I'm hoping the change in the weather will mean a reduction in the germs we have endured this winter.

So here's some March photos, a hodgepodge of what's been going on.......

Michael and Emily helped each other dress up this morning, Michael was the tooth fairy with two skirts no less, and Emily was Princess Corinne of Barbie and the Three Musketeers fame. They also set up Emily's room for a show, complete with chairs for the stuffed animal audience, and a special pillow for me, their only live guest.

They started swim lessons (which they call swim school, as opposed to land school) about a month ago. This is their first time in lessons and they are doing well. With naptime gone, our pool time will increase this summer in a big way, and I wanted them both to be more secure and independent in the water before that happened.

Sunday afternoon we dyed Easter Eggs, and after the first 12, we hard boiled 6 more since we couldn't bear to waste all that perfectly good dye.....

My brother Bill was in town last week and was able to spend some time with us. It was a shame my kids were so shy and reticent with him though.....

Emily's invention, when the eggs are all done, why not dye toothpicks? Then let them dry and cut out little squares to attach to each one to make flags. This one project kept her occupied the rest of the day.

Strep in the Magic Tree House

2010-03-13T21:02:00.009-05:00

This winter has really knocked us out with illness. Nothing major or life threatening, but bad enough to receive the "your child has missed 10 days of school and we may have a social worker contact you" letter. Since Christmas there have been only a few weeks where I haven't had someone home sick. Strep has been the major culprit. I try to roll with it, and adjust my plans to whatever the morning brings, but sometimes it just pisses me off. (my apologies to my mother) I had my entire week planned last week, each day with a list of chores to complete, a couple of days volunteering at both schools. All canceled. Sophie was home on Mon and Tues with allergies. Wed they were all at school, but it was early release. Thurs and Friday both girls were home with strep. Big sigh. Big pity party for me.

It finally hit me....I can't control this so I may as well enjoy it. So what if I have loads of laundry to do, the house is a disaster, I have no idea what is for dinner, and I can write my name in the dust in the bedrooms? My kids won't be sick (or young) forever, so I should enjoy them while I can. Living in the moment is so much better than planning your life away anyway, right? So on Thursday when the test came back positive for both Sophie and Emily, I told them we could have a "spa day" in the morning while Michael was at school. They loved it, and I loved seeing them having fun, even though neither was feeling well. It was a much more enjoyable morning than if I had tried to get a bunch of stuff done, all the while trying to keep them busy and away from me.

One of the plans that we had made was to go to a book signing on Friday night. Mary Pope Osborne was signing (well, really stamping since her hand and wrist surgery) her latest book in The Magic Treehouse series. Sophie discovered them last year and loves the series. The books are about a brother and sister, Jack and Annie, who travel back in time to help historical characters with their dilemmas. I was hesitant about her going, but she really had her heart set on it, so we went. (She had taken two days of antibiotics by this point, so she wasn't contagious anymore...or so I told myself...) I wasn't jazzed about going either, all I wanted to do was get the kids to bed and have some time to unwind. Again, just go with it...we went with friends and saw even more friends there. It was great to see 200+ kids all excited about reading and meeting an author. I enjoyed the message she gave to the children, which was that she had 7 drafts for her first book rejected before it was finally published. On the way home I tried not to hammer that into Sophie, but couldn't resist commenting on how glad I was that she kept trying, or we wouldn't have 43 Magic Treehouse books to read.

The girls are both much better today....and I am hopeful for this coming week, although the nurse did joke with me as we were leaving the pediatrician on Thursday afternoon. His parting shot was, "Bye Mrs. Gould, we'll see you next week with Michael." That is just wrong on so many levels....

You just can't make this stuff up

2010-02-15T20:41:00.003-05:00

Today was a school holiday, and we had plans to visit the dentist this morning for Michael and Emily's 6 month checkup. I was also hopeful that Emily could get her teeth "fixed" as she fell in early January and now both of her front teeth are gray. Vain, I know, but they will not fall out for at least another 2 years, and I just can't bear seeing those gray teeth instead of her pearly whites. Even the dentist agreed that her front teeth are unusually large and that bonding them would be a good idea.

So Sophie tells me she is sick, doesn't feel good, can't go with us. I take her temp and it's normal. She does look tired, but has no other symptoms. I tell her she can go, read in the waiting room while I go back with them. The tears and whining ensue, there are no neighbors available to watch her, so I break down and call Terry to see if he can come home to stay with her. He can, and is home in 30 minutes. Right after he arrives home Sophie asks if we will still have our friends over when I get home for our planned playdate. "Um, no, you are sick." "Weeeellllll," she says, "I'm really not that sick. I mean, I'm sick b/c I am grumpy and tired, but I know I will feel better later and Elizabeth should still come over." At this I give her a look that says she had better come up with something better than what I just heard. To which she replies, "OK, OK, maybe I am not that sick, but I don't want to have to wait in the dentist's office for you, but I do still want E to come over...."

This did not sit well with me, as you can imagine. So, no TV, Wii or other screen time for the rest of the day, which trust me, was more painful for me than for her. And a lecture about telling the truth, taking responsibility, etc.

Meanwhile, at the dentist, Michael, who has been worrying the entire morning about the visit, does fabulously, while Emily clams up and has to be bribed every which way to open her mouth. I end up having to sit in the chair, with her on my lap, while the overly sweet hygenist does her best to get her to cooperate. This lady has an alligator puppet with a freakishly large set of adult teeth that she is using to demonstrate to Emily how the "tickle machine" will not hurt" "See, Mr Alligator is fine, you don't hear him crying, do you, it doesn't hurt at all!" To which Emily opens up her mouth enough to respond, "It didn't hurt him because he's not REAL!" I had to keep myself from laughing out loud, and in my head I am thinking, "Well, she's got a point..."

Saturday Snow

2010-02-13T12:30:00.005-05:00

We woke up to very bright rooms this morning from all the snow outside. I remembered all the times as a kid when I would go to the window hoping and praying it had snowed the night before. How many times will my children actually have any hope of that?? So it was really neat watching their reactions when they looked outside this morning, and saw that it was all still there.

Terry was out by 9 taking pictures of the house and yard:

Here's a view looking down our street, it was very icy this morning, but is now almost all melted.

The kids were thrilled that the snowman survived, it was the first thing they asked about.

I need to measure that before it melts, but I would say 3 inches most likely.

Sophie had been out for an hour by the time I got myself together and went out to join her. By then she was cold and wanted to come in, but I convinced her to go for walk in the woods behind our house. This is her "ok mom, enough pictures!" look. Michael and Emily had no interest this morning in going outside, and frankly I was glad not to have to dress them only to have them in tears after 30 minutes.

We have a bit of woods behind us that cuts through to another street in our neighborhood. I showed Sophie how to pull down the branches to get all the snow off, we had fun getting each other covered with snow.

Sophie was done after I took this shot, so for now we are all inside again. I'm hoping to get out once more for a walk before it all melts.

Southern Snowman

2010-02-12T21:33:00.008-05:00

I have lived in the South for almost 25 years now, and only one other time do I remember enough snow to make a decent snowman. That was, of course, the "blizzard of '93", where some areas of Metro Atlanta got more than 10 inches of snow. But today was the day! School got out an hour early, and just when the bus pulled up, it started coming down in earnest.

Here's Sophie on the deck at about 2pm. We still weren't sure it would really amount to anything.

We decided to give the twins a nap, they have both been sick this week, Emily with strep and Michael with a bad cough. He's doing breathing treatments 3 times a day, right after this one he conked out.

Emily upon waking up. What a fussbudget! She did not want to get dressed to go outside, and as usual, wasn't shy about telling me so.

Finally about 5pm we head outside. There's now about 2 inches on the ground and it is still coming down. And no, our kids don't have snow boots, we are poor and have to make do with rain boots. That's life in the South...lol!

Emily perked up a bit once outside, and enjoyed making snow angels and snowballs. Then the work on the snowman began in earnest. Of course, with parents from Ohio and NJ, our kids will learn the right method: make a snowball and roll it to increase it in size. Of course, along with the snow come the pine straw and sweetgum nutballs.

And you get bare patches in your lawn as well. Although as I am writing this, it's after 10pm and they have all filled back in. It just now stopped snowing.

Snowman bottom completed. Helpers take a minute to pose for me.

Michael was very snow hardy today. Last time it snowed, it was much colder, and that was not fun for anyone. The temp today was just at freezing, so much better for a little guy with pj pants on under his sweats. Again, no snowpants down here.

Poor Emily, she is truly my Southern Belle, after about 30 minutes she was quite unhappy. I found her in the garage just crying to go back inside. She was cold, she was wet, and she was done with the snow for the day.

She was much happier watching the action from inside the warm house.

Terry had fun trying to hit the few cars that were out. We had a great snowball fight as well, the snow was perfect for packing.

Here's Sophie with our as yet un-named snowman. Mare, recognize the scarf? And Sophie's hat?

Soon Michael decided to join Emily inside, so Terry got them both in the tub, while Sophie and I took a walk around the neighborhood. I love the stillness and quiet of the snow, and it was neat to walk with her and just enjoy it. Here's one reason why it shuts things down: this is the hill on the main road in our subdivision. To get out you have to go down this, and up another. If the roads freeze tonight, we won't be going anywhere for a few days.

Apres snow and bath and they are much happier being warm and dry. Plus I made breakfast for dinner, which is always a hit.

On her way to bed, Sophie had to check on her giant snowball, which she named Charlotte. Charlotte is spending the night on the front porch.

Snow covered Japanese maple by our front porch.

After the kids were asleep, Terry and I had to go out and do some damage control on the snowman, he was leaning very precariously, so we shored him up and are hopeful he will make it through the night. I love being outside at night in the snow, just so peaceful, quiet and pretty. Very thankful for today!

A boy with many faces

2009-12-29T20:46:00.003-05:00

Michael finally got Emily's Barbie and the 3 musketeers mask away from her and really enjoyed trying it on.

But then the garbage men came this afternoon. If we are outside and he hears their truck, he has to run to see them. Today the driver came down and GAVE HIM THIS HAT! I thought he would wet his pants right there...Michael, not the driver. The driver told him, "Here your go dude, this is what the big boys wear!" He wore it the rest of the day, then put it right back on after his bath.

Terry explained to him what camoflauge was, so now he has taken to walking in with it on, and asking if anyone can see him. Gotta embrace your inner redneck.....

Gingerbread Houses and more

2009-12-21T21:52:00.006-05:00

December has been a very fun month, how could it not be with all the festivites associated with Christmas? Last week the girls and I went to see The Nutcracker with Pam. A big thanks to her for a wonderful time! I haven't been in years and really enjoyed it. It was Sophie and Emily's first time and they loved it as well. Emily got a little antsy during the 2nd act, but overall did very well. It was such fun to dress up and go to the "big city", reminded me of all our treks into NYC when we were growing up.

And here are my two little angels at their preschool Christmas program. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them dressed up as angels, they won't be able to do that once they hit Kindergarten.

Check out their class, they are a very sweet bunch of kids. Their friends Alex and Sam (also twins) are standing to the left of Emily. Even though Alex is yawning in this picture, he actually did a great job singing. Michael and Emily had their moments as well.

Today Terry and the kids, or should I say Terry, decorated our gingerbread house. I have to give him kudos, it came out great despite all the help they wanted to give him.

No glue gun needed this year, it was already a full house, but he did do a great job with the icing bag. Notice the kids are nowhere to be seen...they called me to come find them in the living room.....

they decided to nap until Dad was ready for them to "help", which was much later on.

All the hard work paid off, now we will see how long it lasts' Emily is dying to get at that candy.

Camp Pine Valley

2009-11-28T22:01:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago Sophie's Brownie troop went Mother/Daughter camping. "Camping" would be a loose term, as we bunked in a cabin, complete with a kitchen and indoor plumbing. But for eight 7-8 year olds and their mothers, it was perfect.

The weather could not have been nicer, sunny and about 65 during the day, and in the 40's at night. We arrived Friday night, and on Saturday morning we went on a "Color Hike" where the girls were paired off and given a color. They had to find items on the hike that were their color.

The foliage was at it's peak, and it was so nice to be outside. For me, it was a pleasure to spend the time with Sophie, to see her interact with her troop and the leaders. Just a joy to have the one on one time with her.

Here they are examining some mushrooms they had found. One was very tiny, the named him Fred and carried him around in half of a nut shell they they also found. But Fred was lost when the girl carrying him took off running. There was much trauma over Fred's fate, and a search party was even convened, with no success. Sophie still talks about him 3 weeks later.

The girls had their own bunk room. There were enough bunks for the mothers to sleep in there as well, but we decided a better idea was to pull our mattresses out to the common room and sleep in front of the indoor fireplace. ( My 6 foot frame would never have fit on those bunks!) This worked out well; we were able to stay up and chat after the girls had gone to bed. This troop is from 3 different elementary schools, so it was a nice chance for me to get to know the other mothers.

Here we are relaxing after our hike and lunch. All the moms had brought books and cell phones to keep up with the kids left at home. (Can you ever truly get away?) We decided to start the outdoor campfire early, so we could do smore's right after dinner. This also gave us an excuse to have to watch said fire vigillantly. During this time the girls played games and explored, it was very relaxing.

Sophie decided to make up a new Try It: Beginning texting for Brownies. Note the sit upons on the bench, I made the exact same kind when I was a Brownie, although they had crib bumper padding in theirs, ours were filled with folded newspaper.

Another one of their Try It activites was on Fire Safety. They learned about this by making an edible fire ring. As you can imagine, that was a big hit.

And of course, no camping trip is complete without s'mores. Just as yummy now as when I made them as a Brownie 30 plus years ago!

Birthday Central

2009-11-04T13:14:00.006-05:00

Not to be outdone by big sister, Michael and Emily had some birthday fun of their own. Who knew that 4 years could go by so quickly, and so slowly, all at the same time??

They brought cupcakes to school for the big day, and making them was the best part as I let them lick the batter beaters. Something I was always careful to never let Sophie do...raw eggs, you know. What the heck, I licked MANY a beater in my day, and look how well I turned out.

No kid party this year, but we did have a family party which was a lot of fun. My sister Peg and nephew Brendan were in town, so that made it more special.

My curly haired girl. She is so independent, and really blossoming both socially and "academically"....if there is such a thing for a 4 year old. She can already write her name, and her favorite things to do at school are the writing center, and to play with the other girls. I am always hearing about who her latest friend is. Very into the friend thing these days.

And here's The Mayor. That is what Michael's teacher has nicknamed him, and it is SUCH an apt description of my little guy. He wants to meet everyone, wants to kiss every baby he passes, and wants to tell you all about himself. I will never be able to teach this child "stranger danger" and that's ok, I would rather he see the world with his characteristic optimism that everyone is as excited to see him as he is to see them. He will get that message down the road a bit, for now I enjoy his innocence and enthusiasm for new people and situations.

Cake baked by Grandma Maier and decorated by Grandpa Maier; it was as good as it looks.

The singing of the birthday song, with three seperate areas on the cake for each of their candles.

After the party was over, I stayed up to make these with Emily's new Lego set. I figure this redeems me from all the "towers" and "diving boards" I made when I was a kid.....

Perspective

2009-10-19T21:53:00.005-04:00

It's days like yesterday that make it all worth it. Perfect fall weather. Happy, healthly husband and kids enjoying the leaf raking/blowing/jumping/throwing. Counting my blessings.....

Oh, was this a kid's bday party??

2009-10-13T11:58:00.004-04:00

Sophie wanted to be able to celebrate her birthay with her three favorite boy friends as well, and since they weren't invited on Friday to the AG store, they came over yesterday after school for ice cream cake. Of course, that meant that Sylvia and Kathleen would have to come too. It had a been a crazy day for me, I was running all over with the twins to get things done, including taking them to lunch at Sophie's school. Have you been in an elementary school lunchroom lately? How they hear anything in there is beyond me, the noise is deafening. It was fun seeing all her friends, and watching her pass out the Rice Krispy treats I had made for them. Of course, Michael loved the social aspect of it, he was sitting with the 5th grade boys by the time lunch was over. Then we had to go to the gym, the Art room and the Music room so Sophie could give each of those teachers a birthday RK treat. In the gym, Coach D put Michael and Emily on a scooter and taught them how to play Sharks and Surfers. In the Music room Mr. Savage had the class sing Happy Birthday to Sophie while he played it on his recorder. Oh, and Michael got to play the bongo drums. By the time they start Kindergarden there, they will know their way around just fine.

So when Kathleen called to check what time to come, and we discussed how the preschool had been on lockdown for the car jacking a few miles away, I told her to bring wine. I was having a crazy day, but she had been locked in her classroom for 90 minutes with 13 three year olds...not enough wine in the world for that! So here's how the party started...I sent all the kids to the basement while I "got things ready". Here's what that looked like:

Yes, apparently I have a thing for redheaded girlfriends........

We finally released the hounds from the basement and they had a fun time singing Happy Birthday to Sophie and opening presents. Everyone left at 5:20, and my husband walked in the door at 5:40 with Sophie's requested birthday pizza. Nicest birthday party ever!

September, October.....birthdays again

2009-10-04T20:56:00.010-04:00

I have had this blog since January 2006 and this is the first time I let an entire month pass without one single post. I could say Facebook is to blame, and while that might be somewhat true, it is not the only reason. I do think that FB has made me more complacent...who needs to write paragraphs when you can just post a pithy sentence or two? I knew I was really slacking off when my sister in law got a FB account just to see updated pictures of my kids, and to hear about what we were up to. I like FB, that I will admit. It has allowed me to reconnect with dozens of people from all aspects of my life: High School, College, Work and Singlehood. And it's nice to stay connected to relatives and siblings you don't get to see or talk with on a regular basis. But, it also fuels the "instant gratification" fix that people today seem to crave. I started this blog as a way to keep family informed of how the twins were doing. They were only 4 ms. old then and my free time was non existent. As I got into it, I realized how I enjoyed the writing aspect, and soon was blogging to have a creative outlet for myself, and one that provided tangible results. Truth be told, I do miss that outlet, and vow to post more here, and maybe less on FB......

And the trouble with not blogging regularly is that when you do post, what the heck do you say? So instead of trying to recreate the past month, here is what we did last night. I took Sophie and two of her friends to the American Girl doll store. Sophie was allowed to pick out a doll for herself, and each of her friends brought a bit of money to get something for their dolls. We then went to IHOP for dinner, where one child per adult eats free, plus Sophie ate free since it was her bday, plus they got a huge free desert. So...even though the doll was pricey, the whole evening was still less than a regular birthday party would have been. (and a whole lot simpler...no invitations to create and mail, no goodie bags, etc.) The two friends spent the night and this morning they had a lovely time playing till 10am.

We were accosted by the ladies at the "fake hair" booth on our way to the AG store. Before anyone knew what was happening she has clips in Sophie's hair and a fake hairpiece in Sarah's. Can you say "Tears and Tiaras"??

Sophie had been talking about getting Kit for weeks, she is from the 1930's, and we knew her story from the movie of last year. Here's Sarah with her Kit and Sophie with hers....

Until she thought about it some more and decided on Julie, who is from 1974 and lives in San Francisco. I believe the deciding factor was that Julie has long hair, and anyone knows you can do a lot more with that than with a pageboy like Kit's.

Sophie, Sarah and Sarah Kate with Julie, Kit and Julie. Finally done at the store, it's off to IHOP for dinner.

But first a quick stop at the playground so they can run around and get really hungry. There was a big discussion in the car about whether or not to bring the dolls on the playground. I encouraged leaving them in the car, because I knew who would get stuck holding all three of them....

Me and my girl at IHOP. I still can't believe my little bean is turning 8, it just doesn't seem possible. The wait staff came out clapping and singing to her with a huge sundae for all of them, it was one of the few times I have ever seen Sophie embarrassed. Further proof she is growing up.

Who else remembers making these kinds of potholders?

Of course, no sleepover is complete without a manicure. They wanted me to do their toes, but I passed on that.

Back to School-Part Two

2009-08-18T21:40:00.004-04:00

Someone please tell me how these little ones got to be almost 4 years old. It seems like just yesterday they were tiny, but at the same time it seems forever ago. Maybe that's just my perspective changing the older I get? And maybe because much of their babyhood is a blur, with #2 and #3, you can't help but go through most of it in a daze.

They were very happy to start school today...although not as happy as I was! Of course I had to make them a sign too, and had them practice holding it. That's Michael with his "chewy diapers" that he sleeps with; he snuck in the laundry room to get them out of the dirty clothes pile. The rule is they must stay in his room. They gross me out, no matter how much OxyClean or bleach I use, those corners will never be white again, but he loves them.

Mr. Handsome all ready to go!

I wish I had the video running during this exchange. Emily telling him how to hold the sign was hilarious. She likes to run the show, and most times he is willing to go along. But more and more I see him pushing back from her well meaning advice, which is a good thing. For this reason I will definitely separate them when they get to Kindergarten. They have such different personalities, and the teacher that would be best for Emily would be too strict for Michael. She needs a lot more to keep her in line than he does.

Miss Priss

Michael seems to have a permanent case of the sillies, he just doesn't get it when it is time to pay attention and settle down. It can be frustrating when I am trying to accomplish something with him, and he is just being a clown. I try to remember his age and how this is normal...I hope! I love the look on Emily's face.

Even though I try not to push the twin thing with them, it is sweet when they do something like this. Their bond is very strong, so protective of each other, it is really neat to watch.

It took us awhile to make it into school, would have been so much easier to carry the bags for them, but they insisted on doing it themselves, and even looped them around their necks themselves.

And then they had to find their hooks with their picture and names, another feat.

They both told me school was great, actually Michael told me it was "awesome", something he hears from big sister no doubt!

And speaking of big sister, tonight she officially became a two wheeled bike rider. Her training wheels have been off for awhile, but she has only tried to ride it a couple of times. Tonight after dinner we went outside and Terry got her going down the little incline into the cul de sac. Once she gained speed she did great, and within in a few minutes was totally independent. She told me tonight that "riding without training wheels is so much better, you can feel the wind in your hair when you get going that fast!" I do remember that.....

Back to School

2009-08-12T21:42:00.005-04:00

Sophie started back to school on Monday of this week. 2nd grade. The time is flying by.

She was ready for it, and very excited. Her teacher is "young and beautiful" as she told me after meeting her at Meet and Greet the week before. And she is young, this is only her 2nd year teaching, and beautiful as well. I was impressed with her, she spoke to each child as if they were the only one she was meeting that day. Her classroom is really neat too, very Pottery Barn-like, if you can imagine that for a classroom.

I had to make the traditional sign, and this year made one for our neighbor Colby as well. He is also in the 2nd grade, and Sophie loves hanging out with him. Actually, we ALL love hanging out with Colby, and his parents Michel and Sylvia too. It is so nice to have neighbors our age with the same age kids that we can do stuff with; we haven't ever had that on our street before now.

They posed nicely for awhile, then got tired and started walking up the hill to the bus stop. Our bus is a whole 10 minutes later this year, it arrives at 7:09. So far, Sophie has ridden it every morning, but then again, today was only the third day.

Here they are at the bus stop with another 2nd grader, Graham, who is in Soph's class this year.

Had to make her stop and pose for me, she is standing with Peyton, Graham's older sister.

So far she is still "in love" with Miss McDonald. I think that may have something to do with the fact that she has not given any homework yet. I am just so pleased that she got another great teacher, we really are 3 for 3!

4th of July

2009-07-23T14:02:00.005-04:00

Still on my quest for more regular updates of the blog. The upcoming consignment sale, kids home from school, and Facebook are all interfering with this. Here's some pics from the 4th of July. The night before we met neighbors in the cul de sac and did sparklers and fountains with them. We are lucky to have more kids than ever on our street. It used to be that ours were the only ones, but now we have a bunch under 12. Good babysitters too!

We again went to the picnic at church to watch the Roswell fireworks, this was Michael and Emily's first time and I was curious to see how they would do. Emily was more interested in the dog on the next blanket and Michael was more interested in throwing the frisbee. Neither one was fazed by the noise in the least.

Here they are admiring each other's bling (glow necklaces, helps to keep track of them in the dark!)

Terry and our neighbor Michel were masters of the sparkler:

Big kids relaxing: Michel, Dave, Marna, Sylvia

Little kids taking a break, we were out there till 10pm, they loved it!

Sunday afternoon we went to Jay and Arlene's to see Kylie, who was visiting from CT. The kids had a blast playing Wi with her. We look forward to seeing her again, and Jake and Blair too in just a week or so.

Dad and Emily take a break from the Wi

Father's Day at the Beach

2009-07-11T20:47:00.007-04:00

So far behind on blogging.....3 kids at home 24/7 really cuts down on your computer time. We had a great trip to the beach the end of June, it was the twins first time and they loved it. Sophie had a blast too, and is getting the hang of riding the waves. Although the last 90 minutes of the car ride home threatened to erase all the good memories, we persevered and made it home without sacrificing anyone!!

Sophie in the fountains at Seacrest Village

She lost a tooth on vacation, luckily the tooth fairy knew the way to the beach:

The fam watching the sunset on the beach, taken by our friendly townhouse neighbors:

Kids checking out the surf from our tiny lawn:

Michael enjoying some popcorn at the dolfin show at the "maquarium":

Being silly while waiting for the fireworks to start:

Some days were like this:

But that could quickly turn around to this:

Making smores on our patio:

The geek squad ready for the beach the first day:

Redneck Pool

2009-06-15T15:21:00.005-04:00

Setting up the little pool on the deck is much easier than taking Michael and Emily to the neighborhood pool. In reality, they have yet to make it to the big pool this year. They have been there many times to watch Swim Team practice at 8:30 in the morning, but not to swim themselves. Truth be told, I don't think I am ready for that excursion solo. Sophie is fully independent at the pool, but does require the requisite amount of "Mom, look at me!" kind of attention. And I have to get close to her to talk to her, so that presents a problem as well if all three are with me. Today Sophie has a playdate and sleepover, so it was easy to keep the little ones entertained with just the baby pool. Having it on the deck is perfect, I can watch them while I make lunch, get towels, etc. We were outside for a good 90 minutes, then it was off to nap.

Emily coming to complain that Michael has kicked her out, and has both boats, which is what they have been calling the chair and dishpan that found their way into the pool.

Here's the guilty party now..........

Emily is so distraught by his behavior she gives up and has a pity party for herself.

But it doesn't last long, and soon they have made up a game where one pretends to be drowning, and the other one rescues them with their "lifesaver".

There once was a girl, who had a little curl...

Day Camping

2009-06-11T21:48:00.003-04:00

Sophie is in Girl Scout Day Camp all this week. I was a floater today, which meant that I showed up and was assigned a job. I think I lucked out by getting placed in Outdoor Cooking...did you know you can make a delicious turnover using prepared biscuit dough filled with a slice of banana? Just drop it into the cast iron Dutch Oven that holds the sizzling lard, turn when it gets golden, remove and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Yum! I was amazed that the lard stayed hot enough to quickly fry these little jewels, amazing what you can do without modern technology. I would love to work at the camp for the entire week next year. The twins would be able to attend as "Pixies". They have their own agenda for the week, which includes some time in the one air conditioned building if necessary.

Sophie's unit color was Orange, so they nicknamed themselves the "Original Orange Crush". Here they all are, with their camp buckets and the wagon that goes with them from place to place in camp.

A friend took this picture of us today, I am not able to enlarge it without losing the clarity. We were watching the flamenco dancers under the Arbor. Today we visited Spain.

Sophie waiting for her ride earlier in the week. She's full of energy and very clean in this picture, a big contrast from how she looks when I pick her up at 3pm. But I can sympathize. When she and I walked in the door this afternoon, I took a 40 minute nap before I could even think of showering... I was beat! Of course, I'm not 7 and a half anymore, so that may have something to do with it!

In the Swim

2009-06-04T21:30:00.005-04:00

Wow, I really have fallen down on updating my blog!

The summer is in full swing, the kids have been out of school since the end of May. Thanks to Pam, who took Michael and Emily for a few days the last week of school, so I could get some things done around the house, and also help with end of the year activities for Sophie. Here's her class at their party. It's amazing to see how they have grown over the year. It was a great year; though we did have some challenges. She got a new teacher with only 3 months of school left due to the Whopping Cough outbreak. That was traumatic, but the new teacher did a GREAT job, and this was her first ever class. We are glad she will be back next year full time, am hoping one of the twins will have her in a few years.

A new activity for us this year has been Swim Team. Sophie loves the water, and this is a great opportunity for her to really learn her strokes, be part of a team sport, and have fun (hopefully) all at the same time.

The main obstacle is her hearing loss. I have tried my best to never coddle her over having to wear hearing aids. I think Terry and I have both done a great job of being very matter of fact about the issue. The last thing we want is for her to think of herself as a victim, or as someone who "cannot do ......" because of her hearing loss. But, in the pool she is definitely at a disadvantage. Our team coordinator has been great-it helps that she is also on the Exceptional Kids Committe at Sophie's school. She suggested that her 14 yr old daughter, who is a year round swimmer, be Sophie's helper during practices and meets. This has worked out wonderfully. Kelsey is by Sophie's side during practice, relaying to her what the coach is saying. She is encouraging and positive, and I think this has made a big impact in Sophie's experience this summer. There have been a few times when Kelsey wasn't available, and I have had to step in and remind one of the other teen coaches they need to be relaying for her. Watching the main coach give an entire explanation and knowing that your daughter heard none of it is heart breaking. Sophie has worn heairng aids since she was 6 ms old, and this is the first time that she has been put in a situation where she cannot use them. It makes me see her hearing loss like I never have before. It also makes me realize just how extremely fortunate we are that the technology exists to help her on a daily basis. So many people have commented to me that they never would have known she wears them, except for it being an issue at swim team. Because she manages so well, I forget that she is hearing imparied most of the time. It's been a learning process for me as well.

All smiles before the meet

Name and team spirit on the back

Getting some diving help from her coach during warm ups

Starting her first race ever, 25M freestyle. She is on the blocks in Lane 2, and is looking toward the starter, who will give her a hand signal as she blows the horn. Kelsey is in the blue cap to the right of Sophie. She wrote Soph's events on her arm as well as her own, so she could be there and take her hearing aids at the last minute. When I saw she had done that, it choked me up, such a caring young lady.

Almost there!

After event #57, 25M backstroke, with our friend and neighbor Antonia. Right after I took this picture Sophie looked up at me and said "Can we PLEASE go home now, I am SO tired!" By this time it was 9pm, and we were all tired!

The End is Near!

2009-05-03T20:54:00.006-04:00

There are only 3 weeks of school left for Sophie and 2 for the twins, but who's counting? At this point, we all are! Especially me. This year has flown by. Sophie will be a second grader next Fall and Michael and Emily are halfway through preschool. I was at Sophie's school one day last week and one of the admins asked me "Now, when do we get your other two?" Thinking about it made me realize in just two short years they will be in Kindergarten. Time is just flying by and life is getting easier every day. This summer will still be a challenge in many ways....they still need a nap or else bedtime is 6pm, I still can't safely have both of them at the pool by myself, Emily is still not fully potty trained. But there are so many things they can do now, and it is a joy to watch them. Everyday we hear "I can do it, I do it myself." which is the mantra of any 3 year old. Putting on their own shoes, wanting to pour their own drinks, brushing their teeth better and better each day. I love seeing how proud they are when they accomplish a new task.

Sophie is making strides of her own too. She is totally into books and I just smile to myself....I am SO GLAD that my daughter loves to read and is capable of reading above her grade level. Saturday morning when Michael and Emily were playing with the laundry basket, she sat at the kitchen table mesmerized by a book from the used bookstore. (Love that place, we trade so many books there that we will forever have a credit. She can spend $3 and buy 6 books, it's a great deal.) Every so often she would ask them to hold it down, but never took her eyes from the page to do so. Just like me when I was that age. LOVE it!

I am ready for the summer though. Ready to be done with school, PSR, Brownies and all that schedule involves. Very much looking forward to Swim Team for Sophie, and getting more involved in our neighborhood through that. Of course, that doesn't mean by 4th of July I won't be starting the back to school countdown (it's August 11th in case you were wondering)!

This video is the twins having a great time with the laundry basket. This was 9:15 am on Saturday.

Michael and Emily with Terry at Sophie's Brownie Court of Awards. Unfortunately no pictures of the Brownie herself. I was too far away and afterward there was a rush for the cake.....
Reading....Interrupted

The Meanest Doll in the World!!

Easter Fun

2009-04-14T22:02:00.006-04:00

What a joyous Easter we had! Sophie and I started a new tradition: making the really tacky, but much loved, bunny cake. So easy and a crowd pleaser. After Mass, which was an experience in itself, we went to Grandma and Grandpa Maier's for brunch. Yummy sausage and egg casserole and Dad's famous pancakes as well. Oh and I think my mother has turned the corner on Southern...she made grits with heavy cream and cheddar cheese...to die for. I thought of Kat's mom's recipes...melt a stick of butta...they were that good! The Easter Bunny was even kind enough to deliver the kid's baskets there, made getting out the door to church so much easier. We had our first egg hunt of the day in their huge backyard. Quite fun.

That afternoon the Gould's came to our house for dinner. And another egg hunt. We also had a surprise visit from Noah, which was a bonus. He even got to spend the night, a rariety on a school night. Kathleen had to take Samuel to the ER (he is ok) and Jeff was out of town on business. We were happy to oblige, and having him there kept my three from the usual bickering that can occur when grandparents visit. No need for Sophie to compete when she has her very own friend to pal around with.

Sophie using lots of jelly beans on our bunny.

The rosy cheeks were all her idea, it really added a nice touch.

The loot.

Loving the blue peep.

Hunting eggs on the back 40.

Poser.

Just one more piece...please?

Checking out what they collected.

Egg hunt at our house after dinner.

Once all the eggs were found, Mike was over it, no candy for him, just the slide please.

True Confessions of a 7 year old

2009-04-10T11:01:00.009-04:00

Today Noah and Samuel were over for a few hours while Kathleen looked at houses. At one point the older ones were at the kitchen table making books about super heroes. This was a very involved process, and they worked on it for about 2 hours. During this marathon of drawing, writing and stapling, Sophie out of nowhere says, "Noah, I have to tell you something." Noah looks up from his drawing and she goes on to say, "I still like the Wiggles, I watch them every night with Michael and Emily." There is a pause and then Noah says, "That's ok Sophie, I still like the Backyardagins."

I love that about their friendship, Noah brings out so much good in Sophie. I see such a different side of her when they play together, just pure and innocent fun. Who else would she be content to sit and draw and color with for hours? And work on a super hero book, no less. No girl drama either, such a nice change.

Today was the last day of Spring Break, and really, the weather has not been springlike at all; rainy and chilly mostly. (and don't get me started on the "break" part of that term) Yesterday was the best day of the week, sunny and about 70 for the high. Terry took the day off and we took the kids to Zoo Atlanta. So did every other parent in the metro area. Despite the crowds, we had a great time. Michael and Emily really got into it, and were excited to see the animals. We have a family membership, so we got to ride the carousel and the train as many times as we wanted. I set the limit on 2 for each, no need to get greedy...or stand in line any longer than necessary. Here are pics of the day.....

Enjoying a pretzel on the lion statue, Dad in the background.

Best seat in the house!

I didn't notice this little boy when I took this picture, but I love the way he is gazing at Sophie.

In the giant bird nest

Emily was fearless in the petting zoo.

Sophie posing on the carousel. Notice Mike's grip on me, he never let go.

Enjoying the playground

Climber

Sophie making new friends.

The April Fool

2009-04-05T21:48:00.005-04:00

It only took me a month, but I now realize that I cannot access my blog to update it when I am using Foxfire. This is the browser I normally use, but for some reason, it does not get along with Blogger/Google. Tonight on a whim, I decided to see if I could get in using the old Internet Explorer and low and behold, I could. Yay me, as Sophie would say.

Since I am waaayyy behind, I will just say that March was an interesting month, lots of sick kids, lots of doctor visits. Nothing major, just normal viruses and such. Tomorrow starts Spring Break...we don't have much planned except a possible trip to the Zoo on Wednesday, since that is the only day the weather should be decent.
Some recent photos.....

Michael in his normal mode:perpetual motion

Emily meandering. Don't let this sweet smile fool you. In March alone she finger painted her brother, her closet wall and two throw pillows. She is an expert at moving any chair or stool to the counter to climb up and open cabinets. Just today she discovered Sophie's lip smackers and wrote all over a dining room chair with one of them. She keeps Clorox in business single-handedly.

Yes, that is my husband wielding a glue gun. I haven't even used it yet! He and Sophie were working hard on her Leprechaun trap for St. Patrick's Day. See below to hear them tell you all about it.

Annual quick snow

2009-03-01T22:15:00.004-05:00

We had snow today. It started as rain this morning, moved to sleet about noon, and by 3 had turned back to rain before it finally tapered off. But, it was fun while it lasted! Michael and Emily are vacationing at Nana's this weekend, and as of this morning, it had not snowed there yet.

Nana graciously took them this weekend so we could have a better chance of finishing the task of moving the kids rooms around. Michael's was completed last weekend, but painting Emily's and Sophie's were a bigger project. And to make it worse, I ended up in the ER last night. I have felt crappy for a week now, the dr said the muscle aches and low temp were a virus. By Thursday I had a rash all over, and by Friday the joint pain was so bad I went back in. Still a virus, still will run it's course, use Advil to alleviate the pain. By Saturday morning I could barely walk, and was in tears. I paged the dr and told him now my ankles and knees were swelling and how bad the pain was. He was concerned and when he found out I wasn't taking enough Advil, advised me to take the maximum dose, elevate my feet all day, and call him back that evening. Ok, the 3 yr. olds are gone, Sophie is on a playdate, I have laundry to do, dressers and closets to switch out, the "stuff" to comb through and get rid of....and I have to sit on my you know what all day. As Sophie would say "not happy mom". But I did it, and by 5pm there was no relief from the pain, and the swelling was worse. I called him back and he was worried; we should go to the ER, it could be many things and he didn't feel safe waiting till Monday. Neither did I and I was tired of being in pain. So we rallied Dotty to come and spend the night with Sophie, and off we went.

To make a long story short, (if that's possible at this point, probably not) after an IV, blood tests, fluid drip, they decided that I have...a virus! Most likely a child's virus known as Fifth disease. In children this causes a rash usually on their face and low grade temp. In adults it is known as Parvovirus and causes a rash, low grade temp, muscle aches and severe joint pain. It could also be mono, the test for both of them will be back in the morning and I will know for sure. Just as the dr was telling us that "yeah, you probably got this from one of your kids", Terry remembered that Emily had Fifth's about 2 weeks ago. It was the end of that week that I started feeling crappy. Of course, I was hyped up on Percocet, so I didn't remember this fact. The good news is it is not serious, and the only reason he wants to know for sure if I have it is b/c you cannot be around pg women, like Sophie's teacher. Good to know. They gave me a steroid injection, which I could feel when we arrived home at 1am and I was raring to go. But another Percocet quelled that! I haven't had any pain meds today, just the oral steroid and I feel 100 times better.

So we are behind on the rooms, but I feel a lot better. And now I am off to take one Percocet to insure a good night's sleep!

Completing the look

2009-02-19T21:08:00.005-05:00

I was at school yesterday for a parenting class (Parenting with Love and Logic, highly recommend it) and when it was over, checked to see if Sophie's class was still eating lunch. They were, and she waved me over excitedly when she saw me come in. It was hard to hear her over the din of her classmates, well at least the girls, all trying to tell me the same thing....she lost her other front tooth that morning in the bathroom. It was hilarious to hear them all tell the story....she was wiggling it, it fell out into the sink, Maeghan picked it up and gave it back to her, then went and knocked on the teacher's stall to tell her what had happened. A trip to the clinic and one tooth necklace later she was all set. Of course, each of her classmates had to show me their own mouths and the story of how and when they lost their front teeth. I had forgotten what a right of passage it is, kind of like getting glasses or braces.

So here she is in all her glory. I made angel hair pasta for dinner last night so she could slurp away. Michael and Emily both insist they have loose teeth too.

With the big tooth necklace from school. Have to keep that tooth safe until you get off the bus!

Posing by the new lamp that we got to go in her new room. When it's on the whole room is cast in a pink glow...I told Terry it's like something you would have in college.

We are getting ready to change the kids rooms all around. All three of them will switch rooms, and Michael and Emily are not only moving to beds, they will now each have their own room. We hope this ends the hour long party they stage each night before falling asleep. Sophie wants pink for her room, and since Emily's new room could stand to be painted, it will be pink too. Michael's will be a light khaki. Here's Terry last night painting a swatch of pink on the wall to check it out. You can see where the border covered the original mint green, we painted it yellow when we were expecting Sophie. Terry was able to peel that border right off, which was a huge relief for him. However, this pink is too bright, in the light of day it's overpowering. The girls think it's fine, luckily it's not a decision for them to make!

Fang or Here come the Chiclets

2009-02-15T12:43:00.013-05:00

Sophie has lost and regained her bottom center teeth, not a big surprise there. Her top two center teeth have been lose for awhile, and she lost one of them on Friday. It was really bothering her at school, so she asked the PE teacher to pull it out. Apparently, he is the expert tooth puller, and many a kid has asked him to do the honors. I am glad she finally lost it, because it was sticking out so far, her lips could barely close over it. Plus the lisping, which is really kind of cute. I never realized how losing baby teeth would change her whole face. Her mouth makes room for the new teeth, which are much larger and never as white as the baby teeth. Hence, chiclets. So now she has one center top tooth left, but there is so much room around it, she looks like she only had one tooth to begin with. A picture tells the story better than I ever could.....

Attractive, right? Luckily that remaining tooth should be gone in a few days. I think the open gap will be cute...until the chiclets arrive!

Our club's consignment sale was this weekend and this was the first time I was a coordinator. It went very well, and I made over $700.00. Terry was a huge help, and many thanks go to Donna for staying with the kids all weekend. We had over 10,000 items for sale, and over 550 people shopped in the 4 hours we were open on Saturday. It was a lot of work, and I was very nervous about how it would all come together. What I forgot was that even though it was the first time I was a coordinator, most of the sellers are experienced, and that made all the difference. Set up moved right along, and we were done in record time. My best find was a Black and Decker tool bench for Michael, which is $99.00 new. I paid $15.00 for his, and it has all the parts and is in great shape. He and the girls have been fighting over it, I mean playing with it, all day. I am looking forward to helping to coordinate our next one in August. These pictures are during the sellers shopping time on Friday night after setup. You can get an idea of just how much stuff we had!

Word to Peg, does that dance floor look familiar??

And here's a fun video of bathtime. Michael and Emily had to move to our tub, they outgrew the smaller one, and it's easier to give a bath together. Terry took this video of their "snowball fight", and pointed out that they each keep their own washcloth throughout the whole thing, which is pretty funny.

We're on the train!

2009-02-04T20:53:00.003-05:00

So my little ones have reached a milestone, which I thought would never arrive. They are, for all intents and purposes.....drum roll please....POTTY TRAINED! This week they wore pants for the first time to school and out running errands. Still in diapers for nap and nighttime, but this is definitely a HUGE step in the right direction. And as you can see from these videos, they love their undies.....

What's a little vomit between friends?

2009-01-16T22:01:00.003-05:00

I am blessed in many things, not the least of which is the friends that I have. My preschool friends, or as we were nicknamed, The Mafia, met when our 7 year olds were 2. We bonded through the kid's milestones, and our own struggles and successes. This group has never failed me, and they know how much I value their friendship.

An example from today....I had a commitment with Terry this morning which would run past the time the twins get out of preschool. I had my sitter coming, but asked Kathleen if she could pick them up at school and bring them home to meet the sitter. Of course, no problem. Then I ran short on time this morning and called to see if she could bring them to school as well. Again, no problem. So, after being able to shower and get ready in peace, Terry and I were on our way. About 20 minutes from home, I realized I didn't have my cell phone. No big deal, what could happen?

Here's what happened...at 10:30 Michael threw up at school. Of course they tried me at home and on my cell, no answer. So then they called Kathleen, who was out running errands. She immediately went to school, got both kids and brought them to my house. Michael proceeded to throw up twice more in her car. She gave him a bath and put clean clothes on him, and settled him on the couch. Then she fed Emily lunch. Then the sitter arrived. The sitter was a little nervous about putting Michael down for a nap, but Kathleen assured her he was old enough and would not choke if he threw up again. At 2pm on our way home, I called her to see how it went. She nonchalantly told me all this, no big deal. Of course, I felt awful since she has been home with her own sick kids all week, and needed this day to run errands. But really, it was no big deal, she assured me. And you know what, I know that it wasn't for her.

I am so fortunate to have people like Kathleen in my life. To have friends who will take care of your vomiting child.....that's an amazing gift in my book!

Here's Michael and Emily enjoying the Bear Cave before the "incident". What amazes me is he looks totally fine, who could have known he's be so sick in just an hour?

Happy New Year...a bit late.....

2009-01-09T21:55:00.004-05:00

Happy 2009! It's been awhile since I have posted, not really sure why. Maybe just nothing of huge importance to say?? I had a lovely birthday at Jay and Arlene's, and it was nice to celebrate their engagement with them. Here's a shot of the Gould ladies. We missed Donna, she had left before these pics were taken.

From the left, G Grandma Yoko, Sophie, Arlene, Kylie. On the couch, yours truely holding Emily, Blair and Pam.

And the men, Terry, Michael, Jay, Gerry and Jake.

Emily with big cousin Blair. Emily is so much like Blair when she was her age, I think they look a lot alike too. Em certainly didn't get my poker straight hair!

Jake giving Michael one of the many piggy back rides of the night. The kids all had a blast playing Wii bowling, and I enjoyed it too. I was even sore the next day, it's that realistic. Or maybe I'm just that out of shape.....

Sophie and Emily taking the candles off the cake after everyone sang Happy Birthday. It's tradition to lick any icing off too.

In other news the kids are all back at school. Sophie is very excited as her teacher shared that she will become a mother in July 09. I told Mrs. Woodhouse she will be a wonderful mother; her classroom full of curious 7 year olds has prepared her well. She has the patience of a saint. I found out over the break that Sophie did not get into the gifted program that she was being tested for. It's shocking as a parent when someone tells you your child has failed in any way, of course you think there must be some mistake, etc. Terry put it into perspective when he reminded me that "she's in first grade, it's not like this will affect her college choices." So true. However, her teacher advised me to follow up with the program leaders about it. She was very surprised Soph didn't qualify. There was such a discrepancy in her test scores that she (and I) feel the testing may not have adequately been administed to overcome her hearing loss. They were to make sure they wore the FM system for any verbal testing, and I am not sure that happened. Plus, I have no idea what the tests even were, they did send home the results, but who knows what all those initials stand for? It's almost like they want to to remain a big secret. Even the classroom teachers have no idea how the kids are tested. Ok, enough of that soapbox...

Michael has a new skill which is coming in handy. He can now get himself in and out of his crib, with the rail up. This morning Sophie called to me at 7am. I went into her room to find Michael in her bed. He had taken off his pj's and diaper, used the potty and put on underwear. He even showed me how he had put the wet diaper in the diaper champ. This is a very good thing! We are still on the potty train, but the end is in sight, which is so nice.

I am busy managing our club's consignment sale, which is Valentine's Weekend. After that is over, we are going to move the twins into their own rooms, and move Sophie back to the bonus room. This will involve a lot of pink and blue paint, a lot of furnitrue moving, a lot of cleaning out of drawers, and probably a weekend at Nana's for the twins. All three of them are looking forward to it. I am too. It will be nice for each of them to have their own room; hopefully it will end the parties that the twins have before settling down each night.

Happy Boxing Day!

2008-12-26T11:20:00.005-05:00

It's been a very nice Christmas. We continued with our streak of not going to Mass on Christmas Eve, this year it was the twins who both had a sinus infection. (The streak stands at 6 yrs now) No reason to take them to Mass, and even though Nana was with us to babysit, we came home after Marilyn's. When kids are sick, Mom can't be gone too long. But, we did have a very spiritual sing along at Marilyn's, so I am counting that as our Mass!

On Christmas Day we had all the grandparents with us, which was a lot of fun. Today is the catch up day, we are playing with all the new toys and trying to put the house back together. Hope your Christmas was wonderful as well!

Santa Terry putting together the construction set.

The finished product, only took an hour and no swearing!

On the back steps ready to come down and put Baby Jesus in his crib.

Emily gets her first Barbie.

Diego, meet Dora. Dora, meet Diego.

Mom's favorite snack food...Popcorn!

Really enjoying the new playset.

Emily, all dressed up and coming at ya

Grandpa Maier gives Sophie her very own bottle of chocolate syrup. Now he won't have to share his!

Enjoying Grandma's trifle.

Grandma and Grandpa Gould and Grandpa Maier.

Emily and Dad.

Remiss

2008-12-12T21:28:00.003-05:00

I haven't updated in awhile. Not that there's not been a lot going on, let's see, the kids all had their yearly checkups, I got the shingles, Sophie is being tested for Target, Terry spent 5 hours putting up our outside lights. See, all sorts of exciting things going on here in Gouldie-land!

The main reason I haven't updated is that my wonderful brother Mike suggested I join Facebook. As my nephew Frank wrote in a welcome comment to me,
"Welcome to the time waster known as Facebook, Aunt Dor." Oh, how right you were Francis! But there's something so satisfying, or let's be honest and call it what it is: sheer curiosity, about seeing old friends (Jeannie Buddenbohn anyone!) that you haven't seen in years, and by years I mean some of these people I lost touch with after 8th grade. Almost 30 years ago. Yikes.

So, in case you forgot what they look like, here's a picture of Michael and Emily that their teacher sent me today. As they informed me when I came to the door to pick them up, they were playing "Plincess". Michael loves a good plincess costume!

We brought our tree home tonight as well, so hopefully I will get some pics of the decorating, which is sure to be an event posted this weekend. Remember, only 13 days to go!

Thankful

2008-11-30T21:51:00.008-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving with our family. I think my favorite part was when Michael said, with no prompting I might add, "I'm fankful for all of you!" You just never know what they are absorbing, do you? Here are some pics of the festivites. Thanks to Mary and Ray (People's SMA for '08) for making the trip down. We enjoyed seeing you and the boys, I mean, young men!

Mike and favorite cousin Dave

The ladies in the kitchen

Emily and her godfather, Uncle Way

Mary and Alex get cozy with the sink

New favorite roasted onion recipe, very delicious

Learning how to carve from the master

Sophie and Emily

Waiting for mince pie

There's no such thing as too much whipped cream, is there?

Technical Difficulties

2008-11-19T20:31:00.003-05:00

We are still here, but I am having problems downloading from my camera. I am a visual person, and a post without pictures is boring to me. My photo software was upgraded, which has turned out to be a downgrade in my case. I'll try to do justice with words alone.

Sophie and I scored free tickets to HSM2-Live at the Fox Theatre. It was her first time seeing anything at the Fox, and she was understandably impressed. The show was cute, although no Zac Efron=no true entertainment for Mom! We stopped at the Varsity afterward, and she really enjoyed that. I cannot remember if I have ever been to the downtown Varsity, what a sheltered life I have led.

Peg and Brendan (aka Blendan) are in town this week, and we have enjoyed that. They came over early yesterday morning to stay with Michael while I took Emily to PT. When I got home Peg was reading People magazine in the family room, uninterrupted, while the boys totally entertained each other. Our Thomas set was such a big hit, we let Brendan take it home to Grandma's, where I've heard he's had some competition for it from Grandpa.

Today was the twins Thanksgiving Party at school. The kids stood on risers in the gym to sing a song...all except for Michael, who ran crying to me. His teacher told me he was distressed about the pilgrim hat, and it went downhill from there. Emily sang all the songs, complete with arm movments like a champ. Sophie's Thanksgiving Feast is tomorrow, and she has the first line in the little play they perform in the classroom beforehand. She's got it all memorized, so she rejected my offer to make her cue cards.

That's about all for now....this weekend we will be resting up and getting ready for the Liotta's. Should be a fun Thanksgiving week!

By Myself

2008-11-01T14:10:00.005-04:00

Michael and Emily are in the "I do it all by myself" phase, which is time consuming, but necessary. Sophie is in a different search for independence; last evening at the neighborhood pizza party she informed me that she, Maeghan, Bella and Lily would be trick or treating all by themselves. I tried hard not to laugh outright, as I knew none of their mothers would allow this either. This was an ironic turn of events, as just an hour before Sophie asked to speak with me privately, guess she didn't want Terry to hear her angst. Maeghan had asked her to trick or treat on the bus ride home, but so did Lily and Bella. Sophie informed Maeghan she couldn't be just her friend all the time and that she was going to choose L and B. So Maeghan was miffed and Sophie was worried. Turns out they all hung out at the party, as I told her they would, and the three other girls ended up running off without Sophie. Sophie happily went trick or treating with Sara, another neighborhood friend, and her mother. She didn't want to stick with me and the twins, our pace was certainly turtle-like. Terry was on candy duty at our house, he enjoyed dressing like the Grim Reaper and scaring the little ones. She ended up going to more houses than she ever has and collected a huge haul of candy.

I asked her later how it happened that she ended up with Sara, and she said "It's ok Mom, I really liked trick or treating with her. Those other girls were running crazy from house to house, but me and Sara took our time and we always said thank you." Does a mother's heart proud to hear that!

Sophie and the witches, from left to right, Maeghan, Bella and Lily

Princess Emily, or as she called herself, "A bootifull balaweena"

Mike trying on Daddy's mask

Ahoy mateys!

Trying to be scary like the pumpkins

We are 3!!

2008-10-29T20:43:00.005-04:00

Here are a couple of videos and pics from Michael and Emily's bday celebration this past Saturday. We had the Peachtree City Goulds up for dinner, and had a really nice time. Great Grandma Yoko gave Michael a dinosaur that was the hit of the evening. At first he wasn't too sure about it, but pretty much followed it around the rest of the night.

The cupcakes were a big hit, Sophie helped me frost them, and chose the pink(girl), blue(boy) and green (either) colors. She is getting very good at frosting cupcakes, I didn't have to touch hers up at all.

An apology to Nana and Grandpa and Grandma Maier. There are no pcitures of their birthday dinner with the twins from Monday. That is because they decided not to nap (Michael and Emily, that is, not the grandparents) and were in a horrible state by 6pm. They were in bed by 6:45, and never even saw the lovely cake Grandma made and Grandpa decorated. But it does deserve a spot on the blog.

And this also deserves a spot....the rice krispy treats I made for their birthday at school. I did try to dye them orange, but after adding way more than I thought healthy, I gave up. They had a bit of an orange hue, and the kids knew what they were supposed to be, so mission accomplished.

And last, but certainly not least, Emily sleeping with her new Sleepytime Care Bear,courtesy of Grandma Gould.

Pumpkin Time

2008-10-19T21:11:00.005-04:00

It's no secret that Fall is my favorite season. Maybe it's because of all the memories associated with growing up in the Northeast, but that first hint of Fall in the air makes me terribly nostalgic. We have had a very pleasant Fall so far, and now the mornings and evenings are chilly, which is so nice.

When you have your own family, you get to make your own traditions. One of ours is going to Mt Zion's pumpkin patch to get our pumpkins. It's really nothing special, no drive up to the mountains, no hay ride or farm animals. Just a 5 minute ride in the car to the kids' preschool, where they Youth Group sells pumpkins every year.
There's something to be said for the familiar. And maybe I am just a creature of habit. It really hit me how long we have been doing this little pumpkin thing when the lady asked us if we needed any help. "Oh no", we said, "we've been coming here since our oldest was a baby, and she just turned 7." 7! How did that happen? Wasn't this her, just yesterday?

No, that's her at age 3, the same age Michael and Emily will be in 2 weeks. That also seems hard to believe. Maybe all our Fall birthdays contribute to my nostalgia as well.

So, we carefully pick our pumpkins and gourds, then go home to arrange them. Not like we used to, with bales of haystraw and a new scarecrow every year. That was easy when Sophie was the only one around. Now with three those big displays don't seem that important. Just a few pumpkins on the front steps is fine with me. They'll get moved and dropped a bunch before Halloween actually arrives anyway.

I really do like the Fall. It seems to scream "Home" to me. And this year,our home is a much better place for all of us. For that, I am eternally grateful.

Birthdays Galore

2008-10-07T14:08:00.008-04:00

The fall/winter is birthday season in our family. Grandpa Gould and Nana in September, Sophie, Michael and Emily in October. Grandma Maier in November, Grandma Gould and me in December, and Grandpa Maier and Terry in January. Throw in Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas and we are done!

We celebrated Grandpa Gould's birthday a couple of weeks ago in PTC. The golf cart was enjoyed by all, and luckily Jack's parents were visiting and were able to get a Gould family shot.

This past weekend Nana came to visit and got to enjoy her birthday dinner with us. The kids really enjoyed helping her blow out her candles.

On Saturday morning, Sophie had her birthday party (a week before the actual day) at Chuck E. Cheese. Yes, that is correct. One of those places that before you have kids you swear you will never set foot in. One of the greatest lessons I have learned since becoming a mother: never say never.

Here's Michael all confused by the strange phone with a cord attached to it.

Terry and Emily take a spin on the racetrack.

Sophie and her friends Katie and Sarah Kate give it a big thumbs up. Notice who the only one with their two front teeth intact is.....

The horse was a big hit. Pulling on the reins made it go faster, and helped steer it around the video screen track that was the course. Mike was content to ride it token-less.
Noah and Sophie have shared a bday party since they were 4, but this year each had too many of their own school friends to combine. But he was right there next to her, and at one point I heard her telling her other friends that Noah and she have been friends since they were 2. Then I heard Noah ask her friends Lilly and Bella, "So, how long have you known Sophie, when did you meet her?" It's like they were at a cocktail party.

My absolute favorite thing about the party was the cake, provided by Tom Carvel. What's not to love about ice cream with that layer of chocolate crunchies in the middle. Of course, it's a big joke among parents everywhere that even though you might claim to not like it, the pizza at Chuck E. Cheese is actually pretty good. Terry and Rebekah are all smiles eating theirs.

All in all, a very fun morning.

Athlete in the Family??

2008-09-26T21:29:00.003-04:00

So Terry and I are not the most athletic people in the world. He played soccer in high school, and I played (or sat on the bench) for basketball, softball and tennis. Actually, I had the most success at tennis, and before the kids came along, was on a successful ALTA team that I really enjoyed. But, look what our kid can do!!

Miss Sharon assures me that Gabriella wasn't really hurt, that it only looks like Michael is clobbering her in the head. This happened during Movement, the teacher wanted to see who had mastered jumping with two feet, which is a 3 year old skill. I would say Mike has it down pat.

Their Movment teacher is great. Her own children play lacrosse, and she introduced the preschool kids to it. She dressed in all her protective gear, and had them running around the gym picking up the balls with their sticks. Emily is the second child from the right in this shot. Kel, what do you think? Maybe you can give them some pointers next time we see you.

And, of course, a fun (and carefully cropped) bath shot. They are almost getting too big for me to bathe together. Each of them like to swim, and there's just not enough room in the tub for that!

Photo Op

2008-09-12T13:59:00.005-04:00

Michael and Emily had their photos taken at school on Wednesday. Their teacher sent me these "outakes" of Emily posing, and the class practicing nice smiles, then their silly smiles. Notice my two, Mike with his trademark scary face, and Emily with her tongue stuck out.

It will be interesting to see how the real photos turn out!

In other news, Sophie has acheived full Maier crazy reader status. Last night I found her reading by the light of her night light and a flashlight in her room about 10 minutes after I had tucked her in. She had made a little nest with her extra blanket and was quite comfy. Brought back many memories of staying up waaay too late reading the Little House on the Prarie books. And in more recent memory, Harry Potter. Good times!

Brownies at the Braves

2008-09-09T13:10:00.003-04:00

Sunday was Girl Scout Day at the Braves Game. Sophie and I went, while Terry took Michael and Emily on a fun trip to Office Max and Wal-Mart. Here she is wearing her troop shirt.

Before the game, all the Scouts got to walk the track around the field. The parade probably lasted about 30 minutes, there must have been 1000 or so girls and their leaders. Sophie didn't really get the significance of being down on the field, as she told me later, "That was a long walk, Mom!" Rosie was her buddy, and as you can see, they listened well and held hands around the entire track.

Our seats were General Admission, so we were waaayyy up there. But it was nice since we were in the shade, and had a lovely breeze. Sophie's favorite parts of the day: the large screen TV (jumbotron) and the cotton candy. We made it all the way to the end of the 5th inning, not bad for her first time at a ballgame.

Unbelievable

2008-08-26T21:26:00.003-04:00

Here's what we do on a rainy morning with no place to go. Sophie gave me this card for Mother's Day, and it's been a hit ever since. It's kind of dark, but I think you can get the general idea. And we are not complaining about the rain, even if it rains the rest of the week, and it's supposed to thanks to Fay, it still won't dent our 2 year old drought.

We had a good day too!

2008-08-19T14:02:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was Michael and Emily's first day back to preschool. They loved it and did great, no tears or hesitation going in. Of course, I had to make them pose with the sign, gotta keep up with tradition.

Their teacher is focusing on independence this year, and that is fine by me. One of her goals is to have them learn to recognize their name, but for now, they just have to know what color their name card is, and hang their bag up on the hook beneath it. Or at least try. So we made a big deal out of letting them carry their own bag. Michael was thrilled, Emily not so much. She just wanted to get out the "bouncy ball" and play, and was annoyed with me when I told her no. Her pout rivals Sophie's, which is no small feat.

Mike was great carrying the bag, but once at school, pulled his name card right off the bulletin board when I pointed it out to him. Whoops, guess he thought it was his to take home. Emily had no problem hanging up her bag below her name. Mike just kind of held his up to the hook, like it was going to magically jump from his outstretched fingers all by itself. I know he'll get the hang of it soon enough. Here's one more picture the teacher sent.

They were wiped out when I picked them up. Lunch was refused by both, and a nap couldn't happen fast enough.

A Toss Up

2008-08-16T21:56:00.006-04:00

Today was my Multiples Club's consignment sale, and it was a great success. I can't decide which I am more excited about: the fact that I made over $700.00 in sales, or that I got rid of my last exersaucer, and two single strollers. I also got rid of a LOT of clothes, which is so nice. My only big ticket item that didn't sell was an infant car seat. I know by the Spring/Summer sale (March) I will be able to sell my two double strollers. (what will we do with all that room??) And here's hoping we are done with the Diaper Champs by then as well!

Our two sale coordinators ran the past 3 sales and they resigned after this one. They did such a great job automating the system with consignment software that scans the bar code on each item's tag. Our club was desperate for volunteers for the Spring, if no one volunteered to run it, we wouldn't have one....so yes, I volunteered. Me and two other ladies will be working together to pull it all off. It is such a team effort, if you sell you participate in the set up, work the sale, and tear it all down. It comes together quite nicely. Still, though, I am sure "being in charge" will have it's challenges, (like finding a new suitable venue that is a good location, but also affordable) and I am looking forward to that. Taking on a challenge and seeing tangible results is something I don't get on a daily basis and I really enjoyed the sense of accomplishment I felt today.

Terry was a huge help, he was there with us all day yesterday and today. There were only 3 husbands that helped out, the rest had kid duty at home. Luckily, we have Nana who stays overnight so both of us can work. Part of my earnings will be spent on massages for both of us, I am currently typing this with an ice pack on my back, and Terry just told me he hasn't been this sore in ages. You can imagine the hubbys did the grunt work, although we women worked our tails off as well.

In equally exciting news.......ta da....Michael and Emily start back to preschool on Monday. They will be in the older 2's class, and will go MWF mornings. Their teachers are favorites of ours, Sophie had them years ago too. Miss Sharon has set up a blog for their class, you can see it here. We had meet and greet on Friday morning, don't we look all happy with our cheesy grins?

I had a good day.....

2008-08-11T21:56:00.005-04:00

Today was Sophie's first day back to school. She has been excited about starting first grade since finding out last week that she is in Mrs. Woodhouse's class. Any time school was mentioned this summer she would go on about how she just had to get Mrs. Woodhouse. (I think the draw is that she is young, fun and cute.) I know from other parents that all the first grade teachers are very good, so it didn't matter to me. I kept reminding her that there are 5 first grades, and you get who you get....so it was pretty funny when we saw that she did indeed get her favorite.

Here she is dealing with the dreaded new sneakers. She didn't have a meltdown, just asked for my help in getting them to feel comfortable, a huge leap from last year.

Yearly pose in the dawn's early light; her bus arrives at 7:03. He was about 5 minutes early this morning, but did wait for us while we sprinted up the rest of the hill.

Later on Mike enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, undisturbed by big sister. It always amazes me how taking 1 child out of the equation makes things so much more peaceful.......

Her report this afternoon was very postive, loved pretty much everything about her day, class and teacher. We played outside after dinner, it was so nice tonight, and no meltdown at bedtime at all. It's nice that the adjustment will be easier for all of us this year.

A Post for Uncle Tom

2008-08-10T21:23:00.004-04:00

Terry spent most of today cleaning the gutters, and the kids were only too eager to try their hand at climbing the ladder. As many of you know, most of us Maiers do not like heights, kind of strange since we are a tall bunch. My brother Tom and I really share that sentiment, as evidenced by the year we had a house at Lake Lanier and he and I were the ONLY ones who did not jump from the top of the dock into the water. That year Sophie begged me to let her jump, she was only 4 and of course I didn't let her. Well, today I thought maybe she would have if I had said yes. She happily climbed up the ladder, and was almost high enough to clean the gutter herself.

Emily enjoyed her turn as well, but Michael preferred to stay closer to the ground. (smart boy!)

Sophie then had fun taking pictures of them as they watched from the kitchen.
Oh, and she was pretty pleased with this shot, she worked hard to get this photo of her shadow.
Here's Terry doing the front of the house, just tilting my head to look at him that high made me nauseous. He did a great job, now they are done, the ladder has been returned to Dad, and we are all off to bed...as tomorrow is THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!

Payback?

2008-08-03T21:52:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure, but I don't think I was as terrible a shopper as Sophie is. To clarify, she is a great shopper if we are shopping for toys, but how often does that happen? Today I took her shopping for clothes, school begins a week from tomorrow, and she has outgrown most of her shorts from this summer. Since it will be hot as heck till probably the middle of October, no fall clothes needed till then.

First stop: Sears to check out the Land's End stuff. Adorable skorts and co-ordinating tops, capris, shoes. All greatly reduced. All in the style I deem appropriate for an almost 7 year old, which means, not hoochie mama. All uncomfortable. Every single thing she tried on...uncomfortable. I really wish I had taken a video so you could see her contortions as she tried to explain to me...I can feel the seams....ugh this has a collar, I can't stand a collar...oh no, there is elastic at the sleeve, can't stand that either.

We left there with nothing, and headed over to the Carter's store. I didn't realize their girl stuff only goes up to 6X, but in skorts, that would have been fine for her. Again, found some cute ones, again, uncomfortable. That's ok, I used my 20% off coupon for Michael and Emily. Just an aside, but the 2T pants I bought for Mike, who will be 3 this fall...they literally fell off of him. Goodness knows what size he will go down to once the diaper is gone.

So on to Target, where I guess I should have started in the first place. By this time Sophie was sitting in the cart, I was doing the choosing, and things were moving fast. As we started into the dressing room, I told her I was feeling lucky. With a little finessing on my part, we found 3 pairs of shorts and 4 tops to buy. (The finessing was all about the adjustable waist, it has to be just so, big enough to breathe, but not too big to be objectionable) The tops were all the same, just in different colors. Terry's comment to me when she showed him her new stuff, was "So basically you got all the same shirts right?" That is correct, 4 variations of the same t-shirt, with different designs on the front, no collar, no applique that you can feel through the shirt, no horrid seam.
She still needs new sneakers, but neither one of us could face that today.

Each store we were in had a uniform section, many public schools are going to that. Not ours unfortunately. How simple would that be??

Arrghh Mateys!

2008-07-24T13:36:00.004-04:00

So Michael finally got his own dress up stuff yesterday,and can now be a pirate instead of a princess. Terry found this on the bargain table at Borders, and it's been a hit. It was hard convincing him to take it off to go to bed, and it was the first thing he asked for this morning. I hope it lasts till Halloween, it would make a great costume. Just need to find a parrot for his shoulder.....

Twins in Boots

2008-07-19T15:13:00.003-04:00

This was one of those moments yesterday morning when I was glad I had the camera handy. They saw their boots in the garage and decided to bring them in. Poor Mike, between his 2 sisters, I don't know if he ever will learn to do anything for himself!

She's movin' on

2008-07-14T13:53:00.004-04:00

Emily has hit some milestones in the past week.......

It occured to me that she had started asking for her paci during the day, which was a new thing. Our rule has always been it stays in the crib, and is only used at nap and bedtime. Same with Michael's diapers that he sucks on. (don't ask me, all four corners of every one of them are frayed and yellowed, but he LOVES them. ) Last Wednesday I realized she had bit a hole through her current paci, the only one left. She doesn't care about the hole, but I do; it's a choking hazard. Plus, if you are old enough to bite holes in it, I think you are past needing one! I slipped it out of the room when she wasn't around, then mentioned that it had to leave because it was broken. The first time without it was that day's nap. She talked about it for a few minutes, fussed a few minutes more, then talked in her crib for an hour before falling asleep. That night she cried for about 10 minutes, and that was it. She will ask for it every now and then, with a wry smile on her face, then say "I just jokin, paci all gone" I'm very glad it went so easily, if only breaking the thumb habit was that painless.....

Before nap today they were playing in their room. I decided to put away a few baskets of laundry before reading to them. When I got back to their room, she had removed her diaper, done her business (both kinds) in the potty and was busy using a wipe to clean the few little spots on the carpet. All this without any calling for me to help. Little Miss Independent. She is wearing just undies when we are at home, and that is getting the message across. I would love to have her trained before school starts, we have 5 weeks till then, and I am hopeful. Even one out of diapers would be a huge savings.

Off to test the Crockpot lady's mac and cheese recipe, will let you know how it turns out.

What a Crock!

2008-07-10T22:35:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I was watching daytime TV (a rarity) while ironing (even more of a rarity, but I am in Consignment Sale mode) and had Rachel Ray on. One of her guests was this woman, whose New Year's Resolution is to use her crockpot everyday for 365 days. I had time tonight to look through the recipes and there are some that I want to try. I also like how she gives "The Verdict" for each dish, and her kids opinions as well.

I really am trying to do the whole "you eat what we eat" thing, but some nights it is just so painful. Like tonight, I made a meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and carrots. Is that so awful? Sophie had been grocery shopping with me today, and knew I was making it. About an hour before dinner it began: "Do I have to eat it Mom? I've tried it before, and I really don't like it, and I don't like mashed potatoes either, and you know I'd rather have raw carrots than cooked......blah, blah, blah, on and on it went till I thought my head would explode. For awhile I was strong, telling her she could take a bite of everything, could have raw carrots and applesauce as well. Plus we could make cresent rolls. No relief from the barrage of complaints. I finally came to the conclusion that eating with her would be a waste of a good meatloaf. So, the kids ate ham rollups, cheese, raw carrots and apples, then watched a video while Terry and I enjoyed our lovely meatloaf.

In Peace.

And Quiet.