When good makeup goes bad

These pictures don't really do the event justice but the other night post bath the kids decided to make me look pretty for daddy. This involved piling more makeup on mommy then you would think possible. For better or worse most of the make up I own is very subtle and sparklie. I ended up looking like I had been in a fight, slightly bruised yet with a nice shimmer to me. The kids and I laughed so hard while this was going on it was absolutely priceless. Brendan was surprisingly gentle with the makeup but not so much with the hair. Wow that hurt. Ahhh what we do for love.

Cookie Time

Madison had a friend over to play last week and while Brendan was napping I figured we would go for it and bake some sugar cookies for xmas. Both girls were excited about the idea and ready to go. I rolled out the dough for the girls and then let them have at it. They cut them out I slid them onto the trays and then let them decorate them. At first Madison was real heavy with sprinkles and her friend used them much more sparingly. By the end it had totally switched and her friend was dumping on the sprinkles. Well lets be honest from the look of these cookies both girls used every last sprinkle in the house. B woke up from his nap before we were finished and jumped right in to do some cookies to. He was actually the most sparing with the sprinkles but he really had no choice as the girls used almost all of them.

The thing that struck me the most about this adventure in baking was how smooth it all went. I mean honestly all of the kids were patient and listened to the directions that I gave them. It is good to know that they are at an age where they can listen when they want to and need to. I just need to figure out how to get them to listen when I want them to.

Happy Holidays.

Happy Holidays

Turkey Day has come and gone and although it was low key it was really great. Tia Ruthie and Uncle Barry came for the weekend. The food was great and the wine flowed and everyone had a fun time especially the kids. That Saturday we took advantage of the nice weather and chopped down 2 trees. Yes 2. And now that I stop to think about it, I would say that getting 2 trees is now our little family of 4's Christmas tradition. I didn't realize that till now. We got 2 very nice trees this year. Blue Spruces, very sharp needles. That is an old family tradition of mine. I had hopes it would keep the kids at bay but I am not so sure that it has helped.

So the house is decorated and Santa has been visited. I am glad that there are only 15 days left until the big day because otherwise the kids might go crazy! They both seem so excited for Christmas this year. The visit with Santa went really well. Both spent a few seconds looking at him in awe before they found there tongues to tell him what they wanted.

One week left of school which will be filled with Christmas parties and pageants! I am so excited to see both of them sing in the pageant this year. I just can not believe that B is big enough to be in school and singing along side of his sister.

After Christmas we roll right into Madison's Birthday! I can hardly believe she is going to be 5 and headed off to Kindergarten next year.

So I just have to make it until February and then maybe I can take a break!

Happy Holidays, try to slow down and enjoy!

Cindy

Life with no W.

I would like to say that part of the reason that I have not posted in so long is that I have had no W key. You may be asking why? Well of course because there are 2 mischievous blonds who live in my house. Most of the damage comes from the boy child and I am pretty sure he is also responsible for the missing W key. The W is a letter that gets used more often then you might think and as much as I would like to think that 2 vv put together can pass for a W it really can't. Not to mention you can not sign into your blog with 2 vv 's instead of a W! I also have a missing ' key but have manged fine with out it. I finally got smart and realized I could just purchase a plug in key board and end all my troubles, but of course that was not so easy. The $ 10 one from target was not compatible and the $25 one from Circuit City did not work. Uggghhh, so happy to say the 3rd one is a charm and I can now type lots and lots of WWWWWWWW!!!

Cindy

Whats up......

As life gets crazier the time between posts gets longer sorry. So here is an update.

School conferences went really well. Both kids are doing great. Brendan is apparently a great friend and helper. He is also a great listener and follows directions well. I know they were talking about Brendan because he was with us and I kept asking if he was the kid they were talking about. I wonder why he refuses to listen to me and whines so much. Very odd. Mg is also doing great and right on track. Very caring and nurturing. Likes to lead but will also follow. I am very proud of how both of them are doing.

We had a visit with my mom and dad and it was as usual Awesome! I sure do wish they lived closer.

Post visit the dog got sick and had to go to the Vet. Over $1000 later she is doing good. Obviously I love the beast! Spent 2 days crying and felt the weight of the world off my shoulders when she came home. Good thing Gma and I got all the kids Christmas shopping out of the way.

So it is cold here now but I like it. We have a fire in the fire place most nights and it just seems a little slower paced then the summer.

That's us in a nut shell. Everyone is happy and healthy and there is nothing more in the world that I could ask for.

Hugs

Why my mornings are better then yours.......

This morning was one of those dark cold mornings where the bed is just sooo extra cozy. We had our first frost this morning and it was still dark at 7am, but despite that the dog and I bundled up and marched into the woods for our morning hike. Some days I have enough time for a pre hike coffee other times I don't, the kids are almost always awake and running wild and I am always happy to sneak out for my little bit of me time. The dog counts on our walk and is always ready to go. We are extra lucky to live where we have a national park behind us and trails galore. Some times I start the hike bored with it, seems like we have done it soooo many times already but then after a few minutes my mind starts to wander. Some times the things that pass through my head are random and weird, other times reflective and prayer full. But sometimes like today you just look at all the beauty around you and enjoy.

8 Years of Wedded Bliss?

Yesterday marked our 8 year wedding anniversary. Sometime last week I finally realized it was coming and reminded Steve. Good thing I did he didn't even realize it was October. Our life has changed incredibly in the last 8 years, heck it seems to change drastically every 8 minutes. It never seems like we have enough quality us time. We are usually busy dividing and concurring with the kids. This morning, we stopped for coffee just the 2 of us after taking the kids to school. It was so nice to just spend 20 minutes together with no interruptions. We even got to have a genuine laugh together. I love him now more then I did 8 years ago and also a lot differently. I love him now for the father he has become, and strong shoulder he is to lean on. I would not be able to survive a day with out him.

Here is to the year of the snow man. I love you, you big jerk.

xo

Sleepy Boy

Brendan assured me he wasnt tired. Yeah right.

First day of School

This year marks a huge milestone for me. For the first time in almost 5 years, I have nearly 3 hours to myself 3 days a week! Trust me it may sound great, but really it is one activity and a shower. It is good because the shower to no shower ratio has shifted in my favor. Both kids are loving school this year. Madison is much more talkative about the going ons in her class. She is still one of 2 girls in a class full of boys, but she is happy to boss the boys so it works out just fine.

All last year B got to help me drop MG off for school so he didn't even hesitate when it came time for him to walk in and get started. Now he gets upset that Madison gets to go 4 days and he only gets to go 3! Soon enough little man.

So now a month later and things are still going well at school and I am still showering more often then not.

C

Your how old?!!!

Ok, so after Brendans birthday came my birthday. Inbetween the 2 events came the chicken pox. Both kids got them. Luckily they did not share them with anyone at Bs birthday party. phewww! Yes, they both were vaccinated for the pox, apparently you can still get them just thankfully very mild.

So back to me. I no w 37 closing in on 40 the way I see it. Some days I feel old, others I think hey your doing pretty good for 37 with 2 kids. I think it depends on the amount of sleep I was able to secure that night.

My dad went to NY for a Yankee game with Steve and was in town for my birthday and bought me a tasty cake to celebrate. Thanks dad!

He turned 3

Wow how did my little boy get so big. August 23 Brendan celebrated his 3rd birthday with a moon bounce in the front yard, cake and good friends. Everyone had a great time and Brendan got lots of fun presents.

I love you Brendan, no matter how big you get you will always be my baby boy.

Hugs

Mommy

Cheerin

Madison is doing great at cheer leading. Here are some pics of her first game. So Cute! I love that although the boys are big enough to play tackle football they still cry sometimes when they don't make a play. The pics arent that great so I will try to get some better ones at the next game.

More Michigan Fun

At the end of the summer, I was feeling the back to school blues, so I asked my mom and dad to help fund a trip up to Michigan to see them. Which of course they happily agreed to. Thanks mom and dad! The time was jam packed. Who knew the melon fest would be so much fun? I love my time with my mom and dad and miss them always. They have been in a new house for a year now, moved from my childhood home. I have to say that going for a visit to the new house is no less like going home then before they moved. I guess home really is where the heart is.

So Far Behind

Well, here it is October already and I am so far behind in my blogging. I just kept getting further and further behind with up dates that it seemed like a daunting task to catch up. So I am going to add some pics and some memories from the end of summer and beginning of school. Sorry if they are not in exact order but maybe I can get back on track this way. So here it goes......

Cheerleading!

Here is Madison Cheering! So cute. This is her first year doing cheer leading. For the first 2 weeks practice M-F for an hour which is a lot for 4-5 year olds. It then goes to 3 days a week and 2 when school starts. The first 2 nights were ok, but last night MG started to have some fun with it and her little group started to look a little better. She even left saying she was so glad she got to go back again tomorrow. I am very proud of her. Don't particularly care if she is ever does it again just happy she will still try something new and have a good time doing it. I will be sure to take tons of pics in her uniform at the opening ceremony. GO TIGERS!!!

Pool Fun!

Not much to say, just thought I would share some pics from the pool, where we have spent a lot of our time this summer. Only a few weeks left and then it is back to school so we are going to continue to enjoy and get there as much as we can before school starts.

C

Whats So Funny?

So as I am sitting here getting ready to do some blogging the kids are up stairs alone brushing teeth and laughing. I mean really silly laughing. What could possibly be going on that is so funny up there. I love to listen to them when they don't know I am. I would peak but it would undoubtedly spoil the moment. I usually wait until some one ends up screaming because the good time has turned bad. Ahhhh, good times. I wish I could be in on the joke just once and could laugh that pure laugh that only a child can.

Hugs

Cindy

WOW!

If you can look at these pictures and not crack a smile let alone laugh then there is something seriously wrong with you! I simply can not get enough of these two pics! Steve took Brendan to Redskins training camp and they had these dummies to take pics with. Brendan liked training camp but in usual form was ready to leave after 5 minutes. At least I got 2 great pics.

Other big news around here is that Madison has learned to ride her bike without training wheels! She just got it about 3 days ago and is really doing great with it now. Also a bit freakishly Brendan tried to ride the bike with out training wheels last night and just did it. I mean really did it, went around the culdasac at least 2xs with no hesitation. He wouldn't do it again today, I think he had time to think about it and realized it wasn't a good idea after all.

The summer is coming to an end soon, and I am ready for the kids to be back to school. I have had my fun and now I need a bit of a break. I have found a baby sitter to help out once a week for the rest of the summer so that is AWESOME! We are also planning a trip to MI in August, then its Brendan's birthday, my birthday and school starts. So I have a feeling that time is going to speed right up again soon.

MG starts cheerleading some time in August so keep checking in for those pics and some commentary.

Hugs Cindy

Cute pics from Eastern Market

Summer keeps on rolling along and it wont be long before we wonder where it went! Hope you are making the most of yours, because we sure are.

C

Happy Birthday Grandma!

How do you celebrate Grandmas birthday? Why you go to Chuckee cheese of course. My mom and dad were sweet enough to make the long drive from MI to let us celebrate Grandmas birthday with her. The kids have been looking forward to helping Grandma celebrate her birthday for weeks and I can assure you they were not disappointed. We played hard. Grandpa and Madison had fun on a roller coaster simulator. They both giggled and hollered.

Madison and Grandpa spent a lot of special time having T party's for 2 days straight. Grandpa was a real trooper to just sip water out of tiny cups for hours at a time.

MG and I cried when they left, but we are all looking forward to our next visit.

Hugs

Cindy

What did I do!

Brendan has a new obsession......Golf! On a whim I just decided to take B and MG to the driving range. Brendan has some how been born with the natural ability to hold a golf club, a hockey stick and a bat. He just picks it up and knows how to whack away. He is also a leftie when he swings.

So we got there and boy was Brendan impressed. We went through 2 small buckets of balls and Brendan was still ready to keep playing. Steve couldn't of been happier when I called him at work and told him of Bs new favorite past time. As soon as Steve came home B begged to go right back. And it is not just about the whacking he also really loves to put. He is an all around player. He may not be the next Tiger Woods but he will hopefully have a life time of quality time with daddy on the golf course.