Vacation 2008

Well we're back and we survived another vacation to Ocean City, New Jersey! The ride down was quite interesting. We got stuck in traffic on the Blue Route in Phila. because there was a Phillies game starting within the hour and Rylee got car sick. Yeah, it wasn't fun! Luckily I had a plastic tub full of toys in the front so I dumped that out and got it to Rylee just in time. Ugh, the car stank until we could pull over in New Jersey to clean it out. The poor girl, that was her first time and she was so scared. The vacation was great once we got there. The girls had so much fun and already miss being there. The weather was perfect all week. Sunny and warm during the day but cool at night for the boardwalk. It only rained once and we were already back home for the night so we were safe. Rylee made a friend within minutes of being on the beach the first day and ironically Kelsey was staying in the house next to ours so they got to be best buddies for the week. Avery loved playing in the sand and actually took a few steps into the ocean for the first time. Her new nickname is now "beach bunny" because she loved being on the beach. We went to Atlantic City on Wednesday to go to The Rainforest Cafe for dinner. If you have never been to one I highly suggest going even if you don't have any children. It's so cool and the kids loved it! A bit pricey but worth it once in a while! After dinner we walked the boardwalk for a while before heading back to OC. We spent our last day at the waterpark that's on the boardwalk. It's become somewhat of a tradition to do that and it works out great because we don't have to deal with sand all over the kids for the car ride home. I had to stand on the side and watch most of the action this year because I still wasn't cleared for swimming so most if not all of the pictures are of Dale and the girls. I have my six week check up this week and hopefully most of my restrictions will be lifted and I can go swimming! I REALLY miss being in the pool and it's hard watching the girls have so much fun while I stand on the side. So, that's pretty much the story. I took a ton of pictures (over 200) and I am having a hard time picking only a few to share so I made a slideshow of the best pictures. Enjoy!!

Our first baby....

Rylee is now officially a pre-school graduate!!! She had her graduation ceremony last Friday night followed by a visit to Rita's for ice cream. Here's a picture from the big night....

Other than that nothing much is happening this week. We're trying to stay cool during this heatwave so we've been spending most of our time at the pool, which stinks for me because I can't actually get in the pool until I'm fully recovered. I have my final post-op visit in two weeks and I hope she tells me that I'm healed enough to swim!! I was told at my two week post -op visit that I could do "10 second dips" but I miss being able to be in the water with the girls. Good news though, the pathology report came back great. Everything was taken out and there's no need for further treatments or surgery. WAHOO!!! I can finally breath a sigh of relief after five years of dealing with this!

We've got quite a busy schedule for the next week. We have a wedding in Altoona (3 hour drive) on Saturday, staying there that night and then coming home on Sunday. The girls are staying with Dale's parents while we're gone. I'll spend the rest of Sunday unpacking from the wedding and then repacking for vacation. We leave for Ocean City on Monday as soon as Dale gets home from work and we'll be there for the rest of the week. Ugh, hopefully I'll find time to sleep!

Sisterly Love...

Rylee has been begging to sleep in Avery's room for a few nights now so we finally let her do it the other night. On the nights that I tell her "no" she waits until Avery is asleep and then sneaks into her room without us knowing!! It's actually kind of cute, she brings her pillows and blankets down and sets up a little bed on the floor next to Avery's bed. Here's a picture from the other night, I snuck in after they fell asleep. On the nights when Rylee is allowed to sleep in Avery's room they squeeze into Avery's twin bed together.

We also joined a pool for the summer, YAY!! I'm sure we'll have lots of pool shots soon since I plan on spending most of the summer there. We've already gone a few times and the girls love it. I'm thinking of signing Rylee up for the swim team too. I'm kind of worried because Rylee is very young to be on a team but I know the coach there and she wants Rylee on the team and is very willing to work with her. We'll see, the meeting is Monday night and then we'll go from there.

Wow!!!

Holy crap,it's been almost two months since I updated the page, sorry about that!! For those of you that know the story, my surgery was May 21st and recovery is going pretty good so far. I'll know more once the pathology report comes back next week but my doctor is very optimistic about everything. Anyway, the girls are doing great. They have been spending most of their time with Dale since I can't move around too fast yet. This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend and the weather was PERFECT!!!! We went to the local parade on Saturday morning, followed by a walk to the playground. I overdid it a bit that morning so the rest of the day was spent at home with me laying down. Sunday was a nice relaxing day. We went to Dale's parents for dinner, it was nice to get out but I was in bed by 8:30 that night. Monday it was pretty hot so we went to the local pool and the girls LOVED it. The water was only 68 degrees but they both went in and had a blast. We may join that pool but if not we are joining aonther one so most of the summer will be spent in water!! Yay!!! Tuesday was really hot and humid so the girls got to run around in the sprinkler. Avery was scared of it last year but not this year!! She took off and ran right into it as soon as I turned it on. Well, that's all for now, we'll be heading to Ocean City, NJ for our annual visit in a few weeks so look for loads of pictures then. For now here's a few pictures taken over the last month.....

A few pictures of the girls at the local playground....

Sprinkler pictures....

Please forgive me....

Sheesh, I guess I've slacking lately on the blog, huh!! It's been over a month now so I have to think about what's been going on. Let's see, Rylee started spring swimming lessons a few weeks ago and is doing great as usual. The coach for Wyo. Hills pool is trying to talk me into getting Rylee on the team this summer but I think we're going to hold off for one more year. I don't want her to start too young and get frustrated. Rylee also had a VERY big day last week, kindergarten sign-ups were Monday morning. She was tested and is ready to go so now we just have to see if she gets into the full day class or if she'll be going half days like most of the kids. Her school only has enough room for one full-day class so it's a lottery to see who gets in. We went to Chuck E Cheese after sign up with a few of the other kids so that Rylee would know them when the big day gets here. Avery has turned into a little chatterbox lately, lol! Her speech is great and very clear for her age as well. She's definitely turning into a little princess though and is more "girly" than Rylee but she'll still hold her own when we have our wrestling matches at night.
Easter was a ton of fun this year. The girls got WAY too much candy but hey, that's part of it, right? We had our egg hunt in the house this year, it was just too cold to be outside at 6:30am in the middle of March! Well, the girls are starting to yell for lunch so I better go feed them before they turn into wild animals. Here's a few Easter pictures for y'all to enjoy.
I'm sure you can figure them out on your own, I'm too lazy to label them today!!

We have snow!!

After a cold but not very snowy winter we finally got enough snow for the girls to go sledding. Rylee was scared at first because she didn't remember doing it last year but once I grabbed her on my way down the hill (mean I know!) she LOVED it. Avery watched for a while but Dale grabbed her too and once the shock of looking down the hill wore off she had fun too.

And a picture of mommy and the girls with the "Kurt Shirts" on before our Daytona 500 party. We had so much fun, TONS of food and of course daddy was drinking Miller Lite for good luck. It must have worked!

And one more picture of daddy and the girls in their "Kurt Shirts". Way to go team Penske!!!

Oh Crud!

Sorry, I know I promised to get the birthday pictures up a few weeks ago but it's been a little crazy around here lately. Both of the girls are sick and it seems like they just keep passing the germs back and forth. Ugh, I hate this time of year for that reason! Anyway, on to the update. Both of the girls had their yearly check-ups a few weeks ago and everything looks great! Avery is right on track with her development and growth and Rylee is now ready for kindergarten next year. The poor girl had to get four shots and hated every minute of it! I took her to ToysRus afterwards to get her the new Hannah Montana CD so she forgave me for the shots. Their party went great, everyone had so much fun and it was nice not having to clean up like we have to when we have the party at our house. The girls got a TON of stuff as usual. Here's a few pictures from the party, enjoy them!

For those that know me best...

This movie is a must see for any woman that is or is about to become a mother. Those that know me best know that my views on birth have changed since becoming a mother, if I could do it all over again I would give birth naturally at a birthing center in the water.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! Well, I'm not sure what month we really are in anymore! It's been very warm this week, in the 50's-60's during the day and in the 30's at night. We took advantage of it and went to the museum yesterday. The were only three ducks there but it was still nice to get out of the house for a while. The girls are so excited about their upcoming birthday party. We're having it this weekend at The Work's (of course!). I still can't believe that Rylee will be five next week, wow how time flies! I took her ice skating for the first time last weekend. She had so much fun and only fell a few hundred times, lol! They have big traffic cones there for the smaller kids to push around until they feel confident on their own. Rylee made it around three times at the end without falling and wants to go back soon. Here's a picture, it was taken with a cell phone so it's not the greatest but you get the point.Avery has been chatting up a storm lately. She knows that her birthday is coming and keeps singing "Happy to you", her version of Happy Birthday! The party theme this year is Tinkerbell. Rylee wanted Cinderella but agreed on Tinkerbell since it fits both ages better, Avery really doesn't know Cinderella yet but I'm sure that will change soon. Well, that's the update for now. Check back next week, I'll have some birthday party pictures up. Have a great week!

HO, HO, HO!!!

Wow, where should I even start? The girls had a great Christmas once again. Rylee was SO into it, Avery was in the beginning but got bored with opening presents quickly. Christmas Eve was quite a night. My family came over for dinner and we had a great time. After they left we headed over to a friends house for a Christmas Eve party. While we were there Avery bumped her head so Dale took her upstairs to get her away from everyone. I didn't think anything of it but went up to check on her anyway because she was crying pretty good. Well, she turned around and had blood streaming down her face, she had split her head open along her hairline. I took one look at it and decided that a trip to the ER would be a good idea. We quickly left for the house (we were only 5 minutes away) and as soon as we got home I loaded Avery into my car and took her to the ER while Dale got Rylee into bed so Santa could come. We were home within an hour (record time for our ER!) and Avery is now sporting a lovely super-glued head! Anyway, after that thrill was over everyone went to bed and Santa made it to our house on time. Let's see, Rylee's favorite gifts are her camera and V-Smile game, Avery loves her doll house and Old McDonald puzzle (she's playing with it right now). We got a ball pit for the girls and they absolutely love it. Avery spends most of her day just sitting in it. Now that Christmas is over we have to start planning birthdays! Sheesh, it never seems to end!

Here's a picture of the girls in their ball pit, we have another 100 balls to add it it yet.......

Forgot to add......

For those of you that actually read the blog if you want to see any of the pictures up close just click on them , they SHOULD open in a new page for you.

A Quick Hello!

Well, we have less than a week to go until Christmas and the girls are getting so excited! I have been ready for a while now, everything is wrapped and hidden away. Now we just have to get ready for the Christmas Eve dinner that we have for my family. I can't wait, there's nothing better than ham, filling and homeade gravy! I always make it a point to get the bottom of the ham pan nice and dark so the gravy gets really rich. Yeah, everyone leaves with heartburn but it tastes so darn good! Anyway, we got quite a storm over the weekend, no snow like they were calling for but lots of ice and wind. There were a TON of people without power (my parents and Dale's included) so a few of the schools were opened as shelters but it seems like things are back to normal today. Well, the girls are in bed so I am going to relax and watch some tv before hitting the sack myself. In case I don't get to update before next week I want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday!

It's been a while!

Man, why is time flying by so fast this year! Let's see, it's been a while since I last updated so I have to think (no comments, please!!). We had a great Thanksgiving and ate way too much as usual. We went out to dinner with my family and then had another dinner at Dale's sisters house a few hours later so it was a day of eating but of course I didn't mind! The first snow of the season caught us by surprise too. We woke up to about three inches on the ground. Rylee had a great time outside and Avery got to throw her first snowball. Of course the snow was gone by the next morning but it was fun while it lasted. A couple of weeks ago I went in to get Avery out of her crib only to find her almost out of it! Needless to say, the crib came down that morning and was replaced by her new "big girl bed". She loves sleeping in it and now gets out in the morning and comes straight to our room. I keep wanting to take pictures but the camera batteries are dead and I have yet to recharge them so I'll get pictures up soon. I have been busy shopping almost every night for the past few weeks and I still have a ton of stuff to get done. We just ordered the girls a ball pit that has two tunnels and a tent attached to it as their big present, I'm so excited to see their reaction, they're going to love it! I might have to test it out before Christmas, ya know, to make sure that it's safe for them of course!! Well, that's the quick update, we are going to be very busy for the next month or so. Christmas will be here in a few weeks and then of course both of the girls have a January birthday so the chaos won't end until February. I'll update again soon, hopefully before Christmas if I can get time. Have a fun holiday season and stay warm, it's starting to get cold out there!!

Trick or Treat!!!

Not too much to report. The girls went trick or treating last night and had a blast! Avery really got into it this year and quickly figured out that more houses equals more candy so they went at it for almost two hours with their cousins. I went through the candy this morning, they got a TON so some of it will be going with Dale to work and a bucket of it will be going to work with me tonight. Don't worry though, there's still plenty here to eat! Here's a quick picture of the girls, enjoy!



And here's the girls with their cousins at Grandma's house

FINALLY!!

Well, the bedroom is finally done, YAY!! It's been a slow process, Dale has been painting almost every night after the girls go to bed but we are very happy with the results. It's a big change, we went from a boring, all-white room to sage green on the walls with burgandy accents. We did the bathroom in a light tan with the same burgandy color. Here's a quick picture, I think Dale did a great job with the painting.

In other news, Rylee has finished another season of swimming lessons this week. She can now do freestyle, a little bit of backstroke and even some butterfly!! I'm so proud of her, the age-group coach wants her to join the team next year but I'll let that up to Rylee. I don't want to put any pressure on her but it would be great to see her swim like I used to!

Avery is turning into a little princess. She found one of Rylee's old hats and now loves to run around the house wearing the hat and a pink bracelet. She also LOVES to take showers and will ask for one first thing in the morning, I think she's a little clean freak already! Her speech is expanding daily, she has started to put words together as well. Her new love is Minnie Mouse, she drags "mimmi mouse" around all day and gets upset if she can't find her so I'm sure you can figure out what her Halloween costume is ;-). Rylee's will remain a secret for those who don't already know.

Well, that's the update for now, look for Halloween pictures after next week. Our house is decorated, the pumpkins were carved this morning, the pumpkins seeds have been baked and the costumes are ready to go so we are just waiting for the big day now!

Another sunny day

Hello! Well, not much to report tonight. The girls are enjoying the warm sunny days while they last. Rylee has started her swimming lessons again. They tested her last night (the first fall lesson) and she swam the entire width of Wilson's pool for the first time! She was so excited and her face showed it. She's once again taking lessons with the 6 and over kids so she's the smallest one there but she's better than most of them too! Avery has a new favorite phrase and I have no idea where she got it from. The other day she dropped something and shouted "Oh Man!", I almost died laughing! It's so cute when she says it, sometimes she will shorten it to just "Man". We are starting to paint our bedroom, it's the last all- white room in the house. This project was been put off for over a year now so I'm very excited to see it started. We're in the process of patching up the cracks and the paint will go on as soon as I pick a color, I'm thinking a sage green and tan but that could change at any time. Well, that's the update for now. Here's a few pictures from our trip to the museum the other day. Both of the girls got their hair cut so they wanted to show them off. We also saw the baby ducks that we have been watching all summer. Rylee was amazed at how big they got in just a few months. Anyway, enjoy the pictures, I'm off to bed!

Showing off the hew haircuts

Sisterly love, something that's rare in this house!

Rylee's picture of the baby ducks

Gotta brag for a moment

Okay, so this is my blog and I can brag if I want so here goes. I am so impressed with the way Rylee can swim. I really didn't notice how advanced she was until we went to Sesame Place and strangers were commenting about it. I was standing at the bottom of one of the waterslides watching her swim to the side and a few of the other parents were watching her and asked me how old she was. When I told them that she was four they we amazed at how well she can swim. Then that night at the hotel we were in the pool and there was a family from Phila. there as well. The father was watching Rylee and asked me how she learned to swim so well since his 8 year old can't even swim like that yet. Honestly, she has been taking lessons for a few years now but it just seems to come natural to her. Believe it or not she even kind of likes doing butterfly which is that "love it or hate it" stroke. Of course, I was a swimmer myself and butterfly was my stroke so I would LOVE it if she got into swimming but that will only happen if she asks, I'm not going to be one of those pushy parents. Anyway, here's a picture of my little swimmer using her arm strokes! Look at her go!

End of summer vacation

Another summer is over and I have to say it was a busy one! The girls loved going to the local amusement parks and we topped it off with a mini vacation to Sesame Place last week. For those of you without kids, Sesame Place is located in Langhorne, Pa, just north of Phila. and is a "Sesame Street" themed amusement park for younger children. It was perfect for the girls! Rylee is of course out of her Sesame Street watching days but Elmo is Avery's hero right now so it was the perfect time to go. We got the two day pass so we had plenty of time to spend in the park and Rylee absolutely loved staying in a hotel with a pool. We had "Breakfast with Elmo and Friends" on Friday morning which was great. It gave Rylee a chance to get autographs and pictures with most of the characters without waiting in line and the characters came around to every table while we were eating. Avery wasn't too keen on seeing the characters up close but she liked watching them from a distance. Anyway, here are a few pictures from our little adventure.

Waiting for the daily parade to start

Avery in the wading pool

Rylee going down the waterslide

Rylee standing on Sesame Street

in front of the Sesame Street fire station

Rylee's first autograph, Super Grover!!

Rylee in the front seat in the biggest coaster

Where has summer gone?

Wow, this summer seems to be flying by! I guess it's time to update once again. We have been having so much fun lately taking day trips. Avery is having a blast in the pool now. She was afraid of it in the beginning of the summer but now she has no fear just like Rylee. Below are a few pictures from some of our adventures.



The girls at Dorney Park. It was a perfect day for rides.





Rylee's hair for "wacky hair day" at school.



Rylee and Bailey on their first camping trip with me. We
went to my parents backyard just in case they didn't like it.

Rylee and daddy at "The Boardwalk" at Hershey Park.

Outside of Chocolate World.

Taking the tour in Chocolate World.

Eating lunch at Hershey Park.

Rylee at her first Phila. Phillies game with Dale.

Avery at "The Boardwalk" at Hershey Park.

Click on this photo for more detail. This is "The East

Coast Water Work" at Hershey Park. AMAZING!!!

Thanks for stopping by and checking our blog out. I'll update again soon. We hope you are all having a great summer!