Merry Christmas!

Hi everyone,

We are in full swing with the Christmas season. We have met with Santa at the mall and that went great, our best picture with Santa ever! The shopping is almost done for the kids, I say almost, because the way I buy for the kids, it is really never done. The tree is purchased and beautiful, the kids did most of the decorating! We have decorated cookies with friends and family arrives next week. The kids are of course crazy excited, Brendan wants an air hockey table and Madison wants an American girl doll.

This year we started a new tradition, with Charlie our very own elf on a shelf. I have thought this would be fun to do but worried that it would scare the kids. Madison has issues with the tooth fairy creeping so I thought that a elf that moves from place to place while you sleep would put her over the edge. Madison found out 2 friends had an elf, she investigated thoroughly and asked a ton of questions and finally decided she would like to invite an elf to live with us. We named him Charlie and the kids were very excited to find out where he was hiding this morning.

So with just 2 weeks left! Happy Holidays I hope you are enjoying the Holidays as much as we are!

So sense last we spoke, the summer has ended and school is well under way so here is the recap.

This summer we went to a baseball game, went to the zoo, lost our first tooth, I ran the Army 10 miler, hung out at the pool, spent the night with MG at a hotel, ate dessert in bed, went down water slides, B turned 4, ate cotton candy and started Kindergarten.

There is so much more, but it is all a blur already. The kids were at a fun age to hang out with and our fun far out weighed our whining.

Once again I will try to do better but make no promises.

SPORTS CENTER

This morning I am enjoying my usual cup of coffee, Steve and Brendan were up first today and as always they are watching Sports Center. Steve wanders off to get ready to walk the dog and I grab the remote to flip to the news.....the little man then proceeds to tell me to "leave it on sports center for me" What? are you kidding, me it is still 2 weeks before he turns 4 and apparently he is trying to get his man card by watching sports center! Ughhhhh.

Just something I don't want to forget.

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day and the kids were playing on the swing set in the back yard. Madison was chatting about how she was going to show Grandma how the daffodils that they planted the last time they were here had come up, when they visit next week. She went on to tell me that she tries to remember lots of stuff from when Grandma and Grandpa visit so that she can think about them when they are not here. It was so sweet to hear her say that. It was just one of those moments that you want to capture and remember for as long as you can.

Bike Ridin

Earlier this month Brendan decided he was ready to ride with out his training wheels. Sure enough he rocked it and there was no turning back. He is a great little rider just like his sister. He has his own bike but is still sure that his sisters old princess bike is faster! It takes a real 3 1/2 year old man to ride a pink bike :). I am one proud mommy looks like bike riding is in their genes.

She can Swim

The things you find in Madison's Bed

Last night Brendan was having a hard time falling asleep. I put him back to bed several times and thought he would finally stay put so I went down stairs. When I came up to go to bed myself and kiss the kids good night, I got quite a surprise in Madison's room. At some point B decided to snuggle up with his sister. I am not sure if she was awake or sleeping when he did it. I think she was probably already asleep. I guess sometimes we all just need someone to snuggle with.

Snow Day

I am feeling a bit under the weather tonight so I will just share the pictures and save the story for another time.

Hugs

C

Happily Ever After

It has only been one week since we brought Big Mike home, but as you can see from the pictures he has completely assimilated into our family. He loves to be curled up with someone and follows you around and cries until you sit down; He enjoys playing and beating up the dog. At first Domi thought that the cat was a great new play toy, but quickly learned that the cat is the one in control. Big Mike will totally knock around the dog unprovoked and can even be found chasing her around the house. I am not sure if the dog is scared or thinks it is a fun game. But at the end of it they can be found on the couch together sometimes even snuggled up. I really believe that like Eddy found me, we were meant to find Big Mike, he is a perfect fit.

Big Mike

Via the web cam, I would like to introduce you to Big Mike. He is the latest addition to our family. We got him yesterday he is about 4 years old and just a big old love bug. Madison said it best when she said "I still miss Eddy, but I love Big Mike and I'm glad he is here.

Cindy

Eddy

I know this is kind of a bummer post, but I just wanted to take a minute to write a few thoughts about my cat Eddy. Tonight, I had to be the grown up and make the decision to have Eddy put to sleep. He and I have been together for 15 years. I literay found him in an alley when I lived in DC. It was cold and he was sickly, I swore I would just take him to the vet and then find him a new home as I was not allowed pets in my apartment. Needless to say that did not happen. Eddy was a grump who only liked me. He would ride on my back as I would ride my bike trainer indoors. When he was little he tried to sleep on my neck so he could feel my heart beat. He made horrible noises in his sleep that would keep you up and he would wedge in between your legs to make sure you were as uncomfortable as possible. Together we moved 4 times, had a few boyfriends, met Steve, got married. He lost his position on my lap with the arrival of the kids and got relegated to the up stairs when the dog got here. He slept with Madison for a while until he couldn't get on her bed any more. Tonight I wrapped the little bugger in a blanket in my arms and said good bye. I'm gonna miss him for a long time. He didn't make much noise but the house some how feels quiter with out him. I hope for him fresh legs for jumping, new teeth for biting, and the knowledge that he was always loved.

Making Time....

After all of the post Holiday buzz and birthday cake had worn off Steve and I decided we were itching to get a way and do something. So after much thought, ok just a little, we settled on Baltimore for the weekend. The great thing about Baltimore is that it is an awesome place to take the kids. We arrived Saturday morning and went to the National Aquarium. Madison fell in love with a 3 flippered sea turtle named Calypso. Very cool. We watched the Dolphin show which both kids got a kick out of. Brendan began to wear down and pick up the whining until we got down to the shark tanks. I mean who doesn't love a shark! The aquarium is so awesome! After, we went to our hotel for a quick break and a swim, then off to dinner. The weather was unusually warm around 55 and sunny so it was nice to just hang out in the Inner Harbor. Early bedtime was so so successful and as usual the wake up call came early. Sunday we went to the Baltimore Ohio rail road museum. Which was a huge hit with the boys. Brendan is obsessed with trains right now. After that we headed to Port Discovery, which is a hands on children's museum. I highly recommend it, lots of fun things to play with and a huge climbing center. Another great day with weather in the 6o's! It was just one of those great weekends where we all took the time to over look the whining and enjoy our selves and each other.

C

Not so excited about the Super Bowl

Super Bowl Sunday was a busy day for us. It started with a Capitols Hockey game in the afternoon that included the whole family. The kids did great at the hockey game. Brendan started strong but faded, and Madison started a bit sketchy but then wanted to go again the next day. It was fun to teach Madison a bit about hockey, she is now old enough to understand it. I told her about time out (Penalty box) and referees. Neither kid liked the noise when the Caps scored and of course it was high scoring game 6 points for the Caps. All in all it was a really fun time. Sorry to say though that by the time the Super Bowl started Brendan was pretty well worn out and fell fast asleep, he didn't even notice that various dogs were sharing his blanket and pillow.

She's 5!

Broken computer and very busy = Bad blogger

So I have no excuses for how lame I have been so I am just goning to up date some pics and tell you Christmas and Madison's Birthday were both awesome.