Grandma's LAST visit

It's always nice to have Mom/Grandma come and visit and always hard to have her go....  especially since this was her last visit to our home before our move up North.

This time we made it to Disney and even stayed at the Contemporary- I highly recommend this hotel!  It is the one where the monorail goes right through- besides the convenience the hotel boasts a large pool, water slides, a beach and an array of True Disney Kids activities (mom and I actually got to read by the pool!)

I always seem to go through the solo-parent blues when my mom or Justin leave us........  hopefully the spirt of Halloween will take over and I'll shake the blues sooner this time around.  

Thanks for a great trip mom!

A conversation...

Ana: Mommy, what do you want for Christmas this year?
Mommy: I want Daddy for Christmas.
Taylor (on the phone with Daddy): AAHHH, DAAAADDD Mommy wants YOU for Christmas!

Can you tell I am getting sick of this separation thing? I just want my family back together again!!!!

Gearing up for Halloween

It's a little strange doing Halloween without Justin, but I finally mustered up the energy to tackle pumpkin patches, pumpkin carving, and roasted pumpkin seeds solo!






The girls have been begging me for weeks to check out the neighborhood patch.  It is across the street from their school in an open field- Tay reports that she can see it from her classroom window.  Pretty cool!

Ana found the perfect one here, but Taylor needed a larger selection so off we went to the patch up the road.  Here we ran into a school friend, which is always fun.  After this we headed home to draw our faces.

Pumpkin carving has 4 steps in our home:

1- pick out the pumpkin

2- design the face on paper

3- draw the face on the pumpkin with permanent marker

4- Carve the face

This multiple step process takes 2 days and I am happy to say that this year marks the very first year that Ana completed all the steps independently!  Even the CARVING.  In years past Justin and I carved, following the girls drawings, but this year Ana did it all.  I still carved Tay's- maybe next year.

 And of course a pumpkin carving weekend would not be complete without ending the day with roasted pumpkin seeds- this year's recipe was the best yet (I'm sure it's because I used BUTTER this time)!

Home for the Holidays

WRITE IT IN PERMANENT MARKER THIS TIME.....

Today marks the day of our closing up north- YEAH, Justin has a home again!!

Justin is there already (has been living with my parents for 4 months) and will move in Monday.  The girls and I join him over Thanksgiving, and I will be splitting my time between WI and FL for the next year as I finish up my degree; I figure it will be a nice slow transition to WINTER!

It's hard to believe we'll be "home for the holidays" for good this time. I"m looking forward to some hot apple cider by the fire- man it's been a while since I could do that!

We can't wait to see you all and expect each and everyone of you to help us break in the new house- those of you who aren't used to living by me... I LOVE TO HAVE A HOUSE FULL OF PEOPLE AT ALL TIMES- our door is ALWAYS open to you, your family and your friends (this includes you FL folks- come on up anytime- WI really isn't that bad)- pop on over, no need for an invite, and expect some wine!

xoxoxoxo,

Amy & Co.

Please meet Mr. Sparkles, the bear.

Ana was star student this week.  As part of the honor she got to bring home the class mascot, Sparkles the Bear, to care for him all weekend.  Part of the care was introducing him to his wife, Serena (also known as Ana's new build a bear) and son baby S.
FUN FUN FUN!

Oh the joy in Ana's face- she told me last night that she is so happy she can't stop smiling- I wish I could say the same for poor little Tay (she cries more than laughs now days- new school without Ana, new house, no daddy and mommy in class at night is a bit too much for her).

Our new house.... if all goes well we close 10/28

4 Bedrooms up PLUS a 5th Bonus room- HUGE!

SUNROOM with Teak Ceiling

Full Finished basement with TV, minibar/kitchen, sauna and more

NEIGHBORHOOD PARK- just down the road (about .1 mile away, 1-3 blocks down) the girls have nature at their finger tips. Here they are breaking in the new 'hood!

Taylor's First Writing Journal

9-1-11  I love my cat  Cat my sat luv to plae.  My cat love me.  My cat love to sleep.  My cat love to hid (e).

8-26-11 My fish.  My fish is gld (gold). I luv My fish.  My fish luve ME.

In memorial of Princess

For those of you who know us well you know we have (had) two pet goldfish.  One was won at a fair and is still with us (5 months later) and the other was bought by Ana with her prized birthday money, the first of her life (6 years old and getting money for birthday- cool, huh?).  She saved that money for many many months, waiting for the perfect thing to buy.  A friend for Butterfly, our fair fish, was her choice at last.

Princess, she named the new all white goldfish.  Well... sad to say, but Princess didn't survive the move over to the apartment.  It seems the stress was just too much (I know how she feels!).  Here is her grave that the girls made for her.

May she rest in peace.  We love you Princess.

A moment of sadness.....

I'm sitting here in our new apartment, Daddy back in WI and girls sleeping away in their rented beds wondering where and when did they become SO BIG...

I guess I've been so busy these last 2 years that I missed the transition from toddler hood to school-aged and it makes me really sad.

Scrolling back through my pathetic attempt to capture our life on blog has proven to me that in the not so distant past Tay was just a baby, complete with curly Q's and chubby cheeks, and Ana was a pre-schooler in the fullest sense of the word.   And as I scroll down memory lane I think about our day today- frustration on my end because I couldn't get all I needed to get done, frustration on the girls end because that toy was with sister #1 WAY TOO LONG, and exhaustion at bedtime.

But look at their innocent little cheeks, smiles and eyes.  How could I let myself miss this all???????

It's just another reminder that we are doing the right thing by moving home and getting the family some roots.  I'm SO SICK of transitions and I'm sure the girls are too.

Hug your kids tonight, and laugh just a little more, especially when they're frustrating.  It seems to me that those are the times they can be the cutest.... I know I will.

Tay's open house

 Here we go folks- the beginning of next 12 years of our lives.... public education!

Taylor signs in herself- LOVE the natural formative assessment.

Tay was a little shy and wouldn't leave Justin and I's side so we played on the floor with her .

still a little unsure of this whole school thing- you can see it in her eyes.

Ana's Open house

Here she is:

DRUM ROLL.....

Ana and her soccer buddy meet up up unexpectedly; not only are the in the same class, but at the same table too!

Welcome to First Grade Ana Lu.

A sampling of the curriculum- of course an open house night with Mrs. Mommy wouldn't be complete without an interrogation of the curriculum and materials... oh the poor girls and their teachers... I really AM TRYING to keep to my mommy self.

A shot of Ana's desk to help her remember what it SHOULD look like (figure I might need to pull this out in a couple of weeks as a visual aide).

Ms. Wade gave each student a sweet note and an apple. I LOVE HER already!

Ana, Ms. Wade and the apple.