Getting Ready

Since Patrick has to travel for work a lot this month, we got right to decorating for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving. Tree? Up. Outside lights and ornaments? Up. Glowing inflatable Santa? Yup, he's up too. Advent calendar filled with treats? Check. Stockings hung? Check. Little People Nativity out? Check. Christmas books out and Fall books put away? Check. Pumpkin Spice and Macintosh candles replaced with Mistletoe and Home Sweet Home candles? Check!
There is still more to do on the tree and boxes to be taken down to the basement, but overall a lot was accomplished in a very short time. I'm still not sure how we got to December already, but since the decorations are up, it must really be.

The Scooter Dilemma

Most of you all know that we live on a very busy street, a highway really, and that it is the main reason I want to move. An 11 year old was struck by a car a few years ago right outside our home so we put up a fence in the back yard to keep the kids from running out into the street. We have a bus stop right next to our driveway, and the fire department is at one end of our block and the police at the other end, so we hear sirens ALL THE TIME. Oh, and we live pretty close to the top of a hill. Our driveway slants down towards the street full of traffic, and the sidewalk slopes down the street towards the library and community center/police station. The people in the traffic are usually nice and will let us into and out of our driveway quickly, but during rush hour or school drop-off / pick-up hours, our street is full of cars. During the night, cars speed down the street (called either Philadelphia Ave or MD410 if you wish) at crazy speeds.

For all these reasons and the fact that our oldest has very little innate caution, I have told the older girls that as long as we live where we do, they cannot have scooters. I know, I know, there are sidewalks. And crossing guards. And other friends who live on our street and in our neighborhood ride their scooters along our street. I know all this and yet I cannot, cannot, in my right mind let MY children have one lest they be the one that slips, or chases a butterfly, or forgets to stop to look up the driveways for cars who can't see them, or... you get the picture.

Anyway, two days ago Carina got creative with her RideOn/PushWalker toy and what do you know, she has a scooter! The older girls are fuming.

Thanksgiving

This year we spent Thanksgiving at home and our friend Frank came over to have some yummy dinner with us. This year I am thankful for so many things. For Patrick's work, our friends, for being able to stay home with the kids, for our home, our children, my husband, and our health. It all sounds cliche, but knowing others who do not have these things makes each one precious and reminds me not to take any one of them for granted.


Patrick slipped down the stairs and probably broke his toe - that makes 4 of the 5 of us who have taken that trip. Hopefully we will move before Carina joins in that statistic. Poor guy, though. He didn't want to go to the hospital or Urgent Care on Thanksgiving, so we taped a bag of corn to his foot and watched it turn purple. (Don't worry, he went the next day.) Fun times. Fun times. Frank is a very!! generous friend and actually bought us MarioKart for the Wii and two steering wheels, which kept the kids entertained immensely. (Secretly I have wanted this game for years and did a mini woo-hoo! of my own.)

Laney's Song

Laney wants to share her original Christmas song, Love Bright. I have no idea what the words are, however. Enjoy!!

Kids Wish Lists, etc.

I have once again been asked to provide some insight into my daughters' interests and wishes for Christmas gifts, so this year I am putting it on the blog.

Mia -

Mia wants just about anything she sees with a horse on it. She especially wants a stable for her horses and has asked Santa for that. She wants the Whimsy mini horse play sets, barbie horses, squinkies, loves makeup and crafts like jewelry, beading, mosaics, sewing kits and shrinky dinks. She loves to read Junie B and Ivy and Bean and the I Can Read books. She loves stuffed animals and clothes, too. (size 8 tops 10 bottoms, 2 shoes) She would love the Wii barbie horse game.

Laney -


Laney loves Barbies, princesses, dress-up, Dora, Strawberry Shortcake, puzzles, and animals, especially horses, kitties, and my little pony's Ponyville. She likes playsets and squinkies, wants all fin fin and Zoobles sets and Strawberry Shortcake movies, and blows through coloring books and markers very quickly. She also likes Scooby Doo lately. Laney wears a 4 dress (she rarely will wear pants without a whole day of fussing), and wears size 10.5M shoes. She LOVES Wheres Waldo books, too!

Carina -


Carina is still practicing walking with her push/ride on toy, LOVES stuffies and babies, and is interested in balls and cars as well lately. She loves to play on my iPhone and "calls" people on the house phone, though she has several play phones. She has the Little People nativity and a few other figures and is beginning to like those. She could use some new bath squirtis as hers are getting yucky. She is wearing size 18M still, but will likely be in 24M by the end of the year. She has wide feet and wears a 4.5W right now.

Hope that helps :)

Pics from the Recent Past

So I missed putting pictures up on Patrick's birthday, and some fun silly times we've had the past few weeks, so here are a couple of shots of our (not so) little family at the little house...

Happy Birthday Patrick!


Carina holds a Wisteria Pod


Wisteria Pod-Popping Afternoon!


A Fall Afternoon



The Turkey Outreach (8000 Turkey Dinners [serves 80,000 people!] Boxed and Sent - Woo Hoo!) Here's a link to last year's photo montage - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIWAUrTejDw







and One Cute Carina on her Ride/Push Wagon

An Oldie but a Goodie

Here's a cute little video of Laney from last year Christmastime. I happened upon it while looking for a picture of the outside of our house - we're trying to figure out what we did to decorate and since we had a newborn at the time, we can't remember. This is in no way related to the video, though, which we think is adorable. Enjoy!

Princess Envy

Today I showed Mia and Laney a picture of Kate Middleton and explained that she was going to marry a REAL prince and become a REAL princess.

Laney was big eyed at the prospect of a REAL princess in REAL LIFE.

And Mia? Well, she threw herself on the couch and moaned "No...I was going to marry him!!"

Happy Halloween 2010!!

What a fun Halloween weekend we had! Friday after school we made cupcakes, Saturday we got up early and Mia made us pumpkin pancakes, then headed to Cox Farms for outdoor fall fun, and got back just in time to see the local Takoma Park Halloween Parade. After that, we decorated our jack-o-lanterns and phew! off to bed. Sunday we went to church, then spent the day decorating and getting ready for trick or treating, which we again enjoyed with the company of our neighbors and friends Audrey and Daphne. This year, Patrick was Dr. P Love, I was a witch, Mia was Pinkie Pie the My Little Pony, Laney was Barbie, and Carina was a squirrel. Oh, and Audrey was WordGirl, and Daphne was Barbie, too! Happy Halloween!

Trip to Raleigh

Last weekend we spent a quick few days in Raleigh to see Amanda, Travis, Gabriel, Marme and GDaddy, and Donovan. Carina and Gabriel had a quick birthday party and the two cousins were baptised at our parents church. It was a fun time for everyone.
And alas, we didn't get a picture of all the cousins together. But here are some of the weekend anyway.

Fun Pictures

She's One!

This week our baby girl turned one, and wow has the time flown by. Everyone always tells you that you should try to enjoy your time with your baby, as it goes so fast, but Carina's first year literally FLEW.

She's adorable - happy even when she's hurting or sick, a little spunky and sassy, concerned when someone's not happy, she's curious, ADORES her big sisters, doesn't like to be left out, makes funny faces and noises to make you smile, and is working on talking. She says Daddy, Mama, Duck, Doggy, Kitty, she barks, and hoots like an owl or monkey (we're not sure which), and when Mia's around, she loves to blow raspberries.
She's happy to walk holding your fingers, but doesn't have the balance down yet to do it on her own. I think it's coming soon, though. Oh, and she sings. We don't know the song, but it's cute nonetheless.

Happy Birthday, Patootie! We love you!

First Days

One Month

Two Months

Three Months

Four Months

Five Months

Six Months

Seven Months

Eight Months

Nine Months

Ten Months

Eleven Months