The Hertensteins

Long time comin'

2009-02-17T14:50:00.009-05:00

Since my last blog . . .
* Christmas came and went. I'll attach some highlights.
* Floors are finally finished. Yea! And we have our kitchen back.

William's first Christmas Tree Lot experience.
William trying to control Madelyn. Must come from the Hertenstein genes.
Brad with his kiddos shopping for a tree.

Found a tree and got it up.
Now it's time to decorate with lights.
Brad thought that should apply to Maximus too.
William making decorations to hang on the tree.
William methodically placing his hand crafted ornaments.
William and Santa. Unfortunately, this Santa blew up the week after Christmas, so our idea of seeing how William 'measures up' to Santa each year won't work.

Festival of Dancing Lights at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
"Snow" falls during the Dancing Lights. It's really soap bubbles, but for our Florida boy - he thinks it's really cool.
Maddie dancing in the street while the lights "dance".

Pajama party at Dan & Steph's. MiMi and PopPop bought the kids matching/coordinating Christmas pajamas. We decided to do a movie night and let the kids have popcorn in their PJs. We were hoping for a perfect picture. Hmmm. Not so much.

Christmas Eve service. The kids are invited on stage for the telling of the Christmas story. William was quite eager to answer Ms. Helen's question.
Kids' Christmas outfits.

Christmas Morning. William overwhelmed by the gifts.

Maddie new exactly what to do when she saw her baby accessories.
Sunglasses.

William loves his 'shooting' truck from Uncle Steve & Aunt Debbie.
Maddie and her blocks.

Family gift exchange on Christmas night. Uncle Dan and Maddie are hanging.

Cute Sofia.
MiMi and her boy.
Maddie.

Me with William, Sofia, and Madelyn.

Family photo.

Progress

2008-12-19T07:50:00.000-05:00

It can be hard to see progress in the midst of it. It can be hard to see it when it moves so slowly.
When William was a baby, it felt like his progress moved slowly. I'm sure part of it was my longing to do more things with him. Being able to have him repeat words. Then saying full sentences. Then having his own thoughts and expressing them. He just couldn't get bigger quick enough. I will say, I'm perfectly content with where he is now. I've told him plenty of times, "Don't get any bigger!"
With Madelyn, I have not wanted her to progress. I've said, "You don't need to crawl. You're just fine sitting right there." When my grandmother was trying to get her to walk, I said, "She doesn't need to walk. She's just fine crawling."
With kids, progress happens. You can't stop it. And I'm relatively convinced, you can't really speed it up. They're going to go at the speed that God intended.
Now, home repairs. There is one that can stop. It can come to a freekin' halt. As I have discovered, Brad can do something to speed it up. Sometimes with sugar. Sometimes with vinegar.
Mid-November, our damaged hard wood floors along with the kitchen cabinets and granite and pantry items were removed. Fans and dehumidifiers were installed. And then, it felt as though all progress stopped.
I understand that we couldn't see the slab drying out. Which is what it was doing. But it took weeks.
Then . . . it happened. They were dry. And a very exciting step to the entire process occurred. They laid the floors down.
Then we waited.
20 days.
And the lacquer was added. Well, the first coat.
By the end of this weekend, all the coats will have been added.
And we'll wait.
Again.
For them to dry.

Here are the guys adding the lacquer.

Progress.

Hookie

2008-12-15T23:55:00.003-05:00

We played hookie last Sunday. Neither Brad nor I had to serve at church, so we totally loaded the kids up first thing in the morning and went to Disney.
It was such a great day. We rode the new Toy Story Mania. The line to get on the ride winds thru oversized toys and games. 5 foot tall crayons, Candy Land covering the walls and floors, 9 foot Lincoln Log cabin, and interactive talking Mister Potato Head. The linking monkeys hang from the ceiling and the Shoots and Ladders game board is on the ceiling. It was visually interesting to Madelyn. Good thing. We waited 40 minutes.

William in line at Toy Story Mania. Oversize dominos and playing cards.

Maddie and daddy.

The ride is 3D which is the explanation for the glasses. The tongue sticking out? Don't know.

Madelyn enjoyed the 3D fun. She took a different spin on the glasses.

Maddie & mommy.

She understood what to do on the ride. Pull the string. Her aim was just a little off.

There is a playground where kids can let loose. It is designed as an oversized ant colony or bug something or other. Madelyn thoroughly enjoyed the 2 foot slide and crawling through the little spaces. She was playing peek-a-boo with Brad here.

Pouty lips.

Madelyn eating her first madeleine (cookie in France).

This is the best.
"Mommy I love you soooo much." Then he planted a big kiss on my cheek.
William is a very ACTIVE boy. However, so loving.

. . . . . . . . . is PREGNANT

2008-12-14T23:08:00.007-05:00

Before anyone freaks out - I asked a dear friend if I could blog about their incredibly exciting news.
She said yes.
So here it goes . . .

Abby & Patrick are expecting!!!!

WooHooo!

I can't tell you how exciting this is.
In fact, I am more excited for them than I was when I found out Brad & I were expecting. Not that I wasn't excited to have a life growing inside me - but nausea and food aversions did put a damper on my ever expanding belly.

Seeing the sonogram of 'Baby S' waving brings tears to my eyes. Life is so precious and I am so excited that our dear friends are finally experiencing this new life for themselves. They are going to be great parents.

My heart races as I think about what lies ahead for mommy-to-be and daddy-to-be. Feeling 'Baby S' kicking. Finding out whether the baby will be wearing a jersey next football season or a cheerleading outfit. (Steph is predicting a girl :)
Decorating the nursery. Ohhh - all the shopping to get ready for baby. That precious first time they hold their child in their arms. Tears. Introducing their new addition to their incredibly excited friends and family that will be pounding on the hospital door to be let in to hold their tiny gift. Heart racing. The day they dedicate 'Baby S' to the Lord who has blessed them so. Tears. Raising our kids together!

Ahhh - your time is here! June is right around the corner. How awesome!

Lunchtime at the Aquarium

2008-12-06T14:50:00.003-05:00

We renewed our passes to the Florida Aquarium after not having them for a year. I'm so glad we did renew. The weather has been so nice lately, a cool breeze but a warm sun, so sitting outside while the kids enjoy the playground is pleasant.
Here are pics of the kids at the sand pit.

The boys tried constructing a pyramid.

Still working on the pyramid.

William and his friend enjoying an ice cream sandwich.

Hello Mr Turkey. How are you?

2008-11-29T22:44:00.003-05:00

William's school Thanksgiving performance was Monday. We all went to see him on stage and have a good laugh.

Sofia & Maddie riding the big yellow school bus to the school.

Brad & Maddie patiently waiting for William's class.

And here they come . . .
I guess I'm not too surprised that he was the "line leader". He is constantly telling me he wants to be the line leader. It doesn't matter if he doesn't know where we're going. He just wants to be in front.

"Hello Mr Turkey, how are you? Hello Mr Turkey, how are you?"

"With a Gobble, Gobble, Gobble. And a Wobble, Wobble, Wobble. Hello Mr. Turkey, how are you?"

MiMi & PopPop with the girls.

After the performance, we joined W and his classmates for a Thanksgiving feast in his room. He really liked the cornbread muffins.

Remodel

2008-11-28T23:46:00.005-05:00

This is what our kitchen looked like before we left on vacation . . .

Notice countertops and cabinets. Notice an island. Wood floor.

This is what it looked like when we got home from vacation.

And this is what it looks like tonight.

What, you don't see much of a difference? Yeah, we don't either.

Home repairs go sloooooooooooooooow.

Aloha!

2008-11-24T14:54:00.024-05:00

We'd been planning a trip to Hawaii since last October. It finally arrived. It was so long coming, and I can't believe it finally came.
We went to Kauai, known as the "Garden Island". It is very rural.
I was SO happy when I was doing some research the week before we left and found out that they built a Costco since the last time we were there! We strolled through the isles a couple times. Had to. Love that place.
We were dreading the plane rides. But out of a total of 5 planes, on all but one we had 6 seats for the 4 of us.
Oh, I didn't mention that, did I? Yes, we took both the kids. Turns out, taking your children on 'vacation' with you is not really a 'vacation' since you're still parenting - jut in a different location. In this case, one that is a 13 hour plane ride away and a 5 hour time change difference.
Still, we made wonderful memories and did enjoy escaping every day life.

Day 1 . . . We were awake at 4am. That is 9am EST. We all tossed and turned for a while. When we finally did get out of bed - we met the sunrise.
After breakfast we took a stroll around the hotel grounds and found a couple hammocks that we got to relax in a couple times.

The beautiful hibiscus were everywhere.

Off to Spouting Horn. It's volcanic rock that is formed so that when the ocean waves crash into it, a "Roar" sound is made. Brad and William decided that it isn't a dragon inside, but a "Chicken Lizard" that is caught under the rocks roaring.

If you click on the above picture, you can see in the turtle swimming in the ocean.

There are sooo many chickens that run wild on Kauai. Apparently, more wild chickens than people on the island. And William really enjoyed seeing how many he could chase.

Day 2 . . . Breakfast was in the hotel restaurant that had one entire side that opened up to the ocean facing the sunrise. I know these aren't the best quality pictures - but it gives an idea of the beautiful view we had at breakfast.

Pictures on the rocks. 100 yards from the lanai of our hotel room.

We drove an hour up Waimea Canyon. Beautiful views of the canyon on the way up. We even saw a couple waterfalls. If you click on the pictures you can zoom in on them.

Now hiking the Waimea Canyon. (See, we did use the backpack! And we had fun!)

The view from our hike. Not too shabby, huh? See why we did it?

Resting on the trail.
We just came down that . . .
And we're going down there . . .
It's hard to distinguish where the sky ends and the ocean begins.

Taking a break an hour into the hike.

Maddie fell asleep on the way back. Best seat in the house.

William was a very agile hiker.

Day 3
After hiking, William really enjoys climbing on the rocks. It is an adventure for him. He even brought his water gun for his adventure.

A family photo as the sun is rising.
Me and the kids.

William feeding the koi in the pond at the hotel.

Maddie taking a stroll outside our room.
Brad teaching William to snorkle. First in the pool, then we'll try the ocean.

Day 4 . . . Kauai Coffee Plantation. We toured the grounds and went through the maze made out of 10' coffee plants. Even sampled some of their different varieties and flavors.

Maddie strolling through the maze. I had to put this picture in b/c I caught her walking with her arm bent and her hand hanging so prissy like.

William playing in the coffee drying tents.

Me & Maddie.

Brad & William.

In the evening, hula dancers and a Hawaiian band were the entertainment during the Mai Tai party. William especially liked the little 8 year old hula girl.
Watching the hula dancers.

2008-11-24T13:12:00.020-05:00

Day 7 . . .
William got to feed the koi again. He had a lot of fun.

William posing.
Later we enjoyed the fun pool.

Day 8 . . . In search of waterfalls.
We found a great one.

Opeaka'a Falls

William in front of the falls.
Girls in front of the falls.

The boys overlooking Wailua River.

We went for a drive on this offroad/backroad/potholes everywhere road. It was a very cool, though ROUGH, drive.
This is at the beginning of the adventure. Brad and William walked across the 'road'. There were 3 of these types of roads on the way up.

At the top of the road, over an hour later, were the posts that held up the gates to Jurassic Park.

We wanted to take William snorkeling. However, the ocean is very rough during the winter months. So we found this public beach, Lydgate Park. It was the perfect place to take W on his first snorkeling adventure. We saw plenty of fish. Quite a bit bigger than I expected.
Once he got tired of the cold saltwater, he drew in the sand with sticks.
Then we built a sort of sand structure. He called it a 'castle'. More like a deep hole. Then I talked him into letting me bury him in sand. He finally conceded.
He said the sand was cold. Though, he did seem to have fun.
He also had sand EVERYWHERE!
Fun times. Good memories made!
Day 9 . . . Queen's Bath
Another hike. Totally different than our first one.
This is a picture on the way down to the ocean. There were fresh water streams that we stopped and enjoyed.

Where we just came down.
And we've got to climb these.
And not get too close to the edge. It's actually a 40 foot drop. The mountain in the back drop is Bali Hai.
On the way back.

The boys sipped from the freshwater stream. We were thirsty.
The stream that they were sipping from.
On the way back up from Queen's Bath. Exhausting.
Which is why we headed straight for shaved ice in Hanalei from "Shave Ice Paradise".
After naps, we went to a luau at the Kilohana Plantation. They had a few games for the kids to play before the dinner and show.
Maddie didn't swing the poi balls, but she did try playing 'keep away' from William.
At the luau.
William posing with the nose flutist and 2 of the actors from the show.
Day 10

If you look close you can see the rainbow.
Kilauea Lighthouse
Pictures in front of the lighthouse.

Maddie liked the view and the wind blowing. She was very happy up on Brad's shoulders.
One more snorkeling adventure at the hotel.
Day 12:
We left Kauai at 10pm. So after a long day, William willingly buckled up and snuggled in for a long night.
We all felt like this. Maddie just got her picture taken while doing it.

Great trip. Wonderful memories.

Dress up

2008-11-23T23:15:00.005-05:00

In honor of our family trip in November, the kids dressed up like a hula dancer and a Polynesian warrior for "Guppyween" at the aquarium. The kids got to see the fish tanks at night and fill their candy bags with candy that I will eventually throw away. But the process was fun.

Brad made some 'warrior markings' on W's arms and we spray painted his hair black. We'll be cleaning up the mess for weeks.

Our Hula dancer
No markings here. No spray paint. Just a lei and grass skirt.

Our Polynesian warrior

William's favorite is the blue bill duck so we always make a point to go see him

Brad & William making the 'warrior face'.

Taking a break from all the excitement (and the huge crowd) . . .

Ear Infection, AGAIN

2008-10-06T17:11:00.006-04:00

We went to EPCOT's Food & Wine Festival on Saturday (sans children). We just love going and trying all the yummy samples (sans children). At least as many as we have room for.
I will say this . . . I had some major regret on Sunday . . . and it wasn't leaving my kids behind. Simply put - I ate sooo much.
I'm not sure where I lost control.
It might have been in France with the French Onion Soup. Or in North America with the Boston Crab Cake with Corn and Barley Salad. The Pepperberry Prawns with Sweet Potato Hash that I ate in Australia were definitely after I lost control. No questions there.

It was a wonderful ADULTS ONLY day! Can you tell we were happy to be without children at Disney? In fact, we joked with the couple we went with at the parents that had their children in tow. Don't get me wrong, we often look like those couples with strollers stuffed to full capacity with diapers, sippy cups, etc and screaming children because it is 2pm and nap time is sorely needed. However, for 1 day a year, it wasn't us.

So back at home, my dad was caring for our 2 heaven sent blessings. So easy to say after a full day away from them. And our daughter was cooking up ANOTHER ear infection.
Under his care, I might add.
This is ironic because my dad touts his refined, he would call it
'perfected', care of our children. To those who don't know him,
it's endearing - not condescending. What parent doesn't love
when another adult wants the best with regards to their children?

So . . . back to ANOTHER ear infection. A double ear infection to boot! How? I don't get it. The thrashing and arching of the back when we lay her flat and her unending clingy-ness now makes sense. In the context of a double ear infection, that is. So we medicate and love on her. Hopefully some TLC will make it easier on her.

Sick babies are just down right pathetic.

Unrelated pictures to follow. Pictures of a crying baby or a picture of her infected inner ears not so endearing.

Here are her One Year photos.

Compared to William's One Year Photos

Sad Day

2008-09-25T21:12:00.007-04:00

This has been a sad couple of days. Something has happened to my baby.
Monday was her last bottle.
No hiccups moving to the sippy cup. Or going off formula.
Tuesday she started WALKING!
Hello! Please, someone, tell her she's growing too fast! This is ridiculous.
She has the rest of her life to walk and be a big girl.

So, ignoring ME and my sadness, what a big milestone.

When I picked her up out of the Y nursery today, they said, "She's walking! She's walking everywhere!". I told them I was not nearly as excited about it as they obviously were. Then my sweet girl did something that warmed my heart.
She saw me, her face lit up with excitement, and then . . . she crawled to the door.

I just don't understand why this is going so fast.

Maddie, "Yesterday"

Maddie, "Today"

I was laying next to William this afternoon as he was sleeping soundly, and I thought back to what seems like yesterday when I was rocking him and looking into that same face. But now he's so big. His feet and his hands look gigantic next to Madelyn's.

William, "Yesterday"

William, "Today"

Ughh, I'm going to cry.

Each stage is so wonderful, but each stage means they are a little closer to being . . . dare I say, a teenager.

A new job, 2 milestones and 2 birthdays

2008-09-22T15:37:00.020-04:00

Nearly 2 months since my last post and some major changes have occurred.

*Brad started a new job. Big change. 8 weeks later and he really likes it. Dare I say . . . he is excited!
I don't think I realized how much a bad job effects a family. At least ours. Not that Brad's previous position was bad - it just wasn't a good situation. The interim was stressful. And the start of the new job was hectic. However, we're on the other side now and it is good. It is especially good for Brad and therefor all of us.

Milestone #1
*William started PK3. Sad. I say that because I hate letting him go. He is such a sweet boy with such a sweet heart (except with his sister). I know it is good for him. The 'being in school' part, not the 'mean to his sister' part. And for me. It took him a good month to find some friends among his classmates. But he has settled on 4 or 5 that he calls 'friends'.
Below is a picture of his first day at school.He is now strongly opposed to spiky hair. Go figure. "Flat! I want it flat!" I think it is because a friend of his got a major hair cut and it was spiky and his buddy hated it. Are 3 and a half year olds supposed to have opinions on their hair???? It seems about 15 years early.

Milestone #2
*On the hair subject, Maddie went to the salon for her first official haircut. I dare call my butchering of her hair back in May a 'haircut'.
And she started the fun 'separation anxiety' stage. FUN. Don't you love when you go to talk to a kid and the kid melts at merely listening to you talk to them. It's even better when it's your kid crying at someone else.
This will soon come to an end. I'm certain of it.
This is a picture of Maddie after her salon debut with my hairstylist.

I love this developmental stage. When they get on one knee. You know that walking is right around the corner but they're still your crawling baby.

Here she is on her 11 month birthday.

*Monday nights tend to be the only night during the week that we are all together. One night we took the kids to Picnic Island and watched the sunset. William and Brad played softball. He hits pretty good. Exceptionally well considering his athletic genes. This is a picture of a huge cargo ship, maybe, I can't remember, that passed by while we were there.
*Grandparents Day was August 31st. So I was told. This is the picture of Maddie, Sofia, and William that Steph took for my parents. We put it in a black mat with the kids handprints in white paint.

* Our last overnight trip to Orlando for the year, I fear. Since rates hike up in the fall and in to the holidays.

William in the kids robe and slippers having coffee on the balcony. Ignore my fabulous bed head please.

Yes, dad, we let him pet the snake and alligator. It seemed relatively safe.

William and Brad went to the putting range. Maddie and I watched. She talked on the phone a bit :)

Birthday#1
* William turned 4. SIGH. We had a Kung Fu Panda party for him at the Y.
One of our good friends agreed to dress up in a panda costume and pose for an hour as Po. He's obviously a good friend to do it.

There were kids everywhere. 17 or 19 mostly 3 year olds. It was pandamonium. HaHa.

Another guy came and did a karate demonstration for the kids. The boys, and a couple girls, were really into it. William is still doing the "Haaa YA".

Cake time.
I had cupcakes made for the kids with Master Po's face on them. I got the idea off the internet and entertained the idea of decorating them myself. Boy am I glad I opted not to!

Lighting of the candles . . .

William is not given the opportunity to eat sugar often. So one of our friends found it hilarious that after the song was sung and he blew out the candles and the cake was put in front of him - he asked, "Am I allowed to eat this?".
Yes, we let him.

Birthday #2
*Maddie, our little girl, my baby, turned one. Cry. Cry. Sigh.
She's taken steps here and there by herself - but honestly - I'm not encouraging it. Why? She's got the rest of her life to walk. No point in pushing her to grow up too quickly.
We had a dinner party for her this past Saturday. Family and friends came to help celebrate her big day. And - thanks to my good friend, Clarita, who is teaching me to sew - I made Maddie's birthday outfit. It was a cupcake shirt with bloomies.
We ate cupcakes. I used this cupcake mold that makes a cake in the shape of a cupcake. The kids had individual cupcakes.

Cupcake time for the birthday girl . . .

Opening presents was fun. William wanted to be in the middle of the action. Actually all the kids wanted to be in the action. Towards the end, Maddie grabbed a hold of one of the gifts and clinched on tight! As if she were saying, "mine!".
All sugared up and hipper!

Vacation

2008-08-01T08:04:00.041-04:00

With Brad on a 'work break' (see July 18th post) we're going on vacation to the tourist mecca. Orlando.

Day 1: Magic Kingdom
We stayed on property at the Contemporary Resort for a couple days. It was SO nice to be 7 minutes from Magic Kingdom. We don't go often to that park because it is so much trouble. You've got to park, load the stroller on the tram then unload to get on the monorail and then 30 minutes later arrive at the front of MK. So since the monorail goes through the Contemporary, it literally took us 7 minutes to get to the front of MK after leaving the elevator at the hotel.

*You can click on the pictures to see close ups*

Us in front of Cinderella's castle.

Me and Maddie right before dinner.

Day 2: Magic Kingdom . . . again

Brad and Madelyn heading up to ride Astro Orbiter.

Brad and Madelyn (she's there, you just can't see her) on the Astro Orbiter.

William getting ready for take off.

Dinner was the Luau at the Polynesian Resort.
Having been to several luaus in Hawaii, we were a bit skeptical. Will it be corny? Will it be Disney-fied?
Well, the first song they started with was a Beach Boys tune. Not so authentic - quite corny actually. Things did get better though. As Disney usually does, they replicated an authentic luau very well. The dancers were great. The flame thrower was very good. And the food was definitely better than authentic luaus. Not hard to do - one does not go to Hawaii for the food. We've had the worst ever Caesar salad, pizza and steak in Hawaii. So a Disney luau had to be better cuisine.

Madelyn with a lei adorning her head.

Brad and William acting silly. Just wait until the Pina Coladas come.

Madelyn and me. She'd really rather not be touched OR wear the lei. She is quite focused on the food at the table that she is not partaking of yet.

Me and Brad

Remember those Pina Coladas? Oh yes, the boys enjoyed the pineapple flavored slushies.

They invited the kids up to the front to teach them one of the dances. William went.
He wasn't all that interested though.

Family photo

Day 3: EPCOT

2 rides on Test Track and the highlight for William is the display of GM cars & trucks after exiting the ride.

Day 4: Dinner in EPCOT at Chefs de France

Working our way to EPCOT via the Boardwalk.

Reservations aren't really a 'reservation' apparently. At least not tonight. So we waited for our table. In the mean time, I took some cute pics of the kids.

Madelyn here devouring the map. If the choice is putting the paper in her mouth or the grass - I'll take the paper. She's at that stage where she puts everything in her mouth. It's great! :)

My martini was completely drained out of this plastic martini glass. But she sure did enjoy playing with it.

Okay - here is something crazy. William eating the escargot. At first he was just dipping his pasta in the butter garlic pesto sauce. I mean, who doesn't like that combination? Then he ate the last of the appetizer! Just like that our 3 year old is eating snails. I might add, not so cheap.

Day 5: Pool Day - all day!

There was a python water slide at the pool. Initially William was not keen on going down it because it is pitch black inside. He soon got over his fear and played for hours going down the slide. It's so nice that he can swim so he can do it by himself. Over and over and over again. I got to watch poolside. It's a great setup.

Madelyn went 'European' at the pool. Why bother to put a top on a 10 month old? I don't think it's necessary. A cute pink frilly bottom is all a baby girl needs. Brad thinks it's funny. Here he is uncovering her chest and saying, "Woooowy, look at these."

Day 6: MGM – oh sorry . . . name change - Disney’s Hollywood Studios - old habits die hard

William had seen all the billboards for Toy Story Mania. It’s a 4D ride through midway-style games. The vehicles have spring action shooters where you throw virtual projectiles at targets to rack up the points on the games. It’s very cool.

Madelyn even enjoyed pulling on the string on the shooters. Though amidst the twirling around to the next game, she did fall over a few times. No worse for the wear.

After the ride, William went to take a few photos with Buzz and Woody.

If you’ve seen Toy Story, you’ll notice that the backdrop is Woody’s bed and the kids can take a photo inside Buzz’s space ship while waiting in line to see the characters.

Again, the backdrop is Woody’s bed. I think it’s a very cool setup.

Day 7: Another pool day. No photos to share. But I had to list the day. It would bother me to not list every day.

Day 8: EPCOT and off to the Ritz

We rode Spaceship Earth. That would be the big ball below. And took a bunch of pics with some characters.

No . . . we're not the characters. Those are to come.

The kids and I waited in an HOUR long line to take photos with some 'big names'. While I wrangled the 2 kids in the line for an HOUR, Brad went on a “Behind the Seeds” tour in The Land.

Lots of talk about Hydroponics.

Something Brad is interested in since it has to do with new possibilities in farming. He enjoys growing herbs and flowers and the technology Disney is researching interests him.

Since an hour of my life is gone for the pics, I thought I'd attach as many as this blog would hold.

William and Maddie with Mickey.

This was taken moments before Madelyn went hysterical. I couldn't believe it - 10 months old and she's scared of the life size stuffed animals.

William and Minnie.

Maddie with Minnie. The only way I could get her close to the characters was if I was holding her. I put her down next to Minnie after this was taken and she crawled off crying - I'm talking tears.

William watching Madelyn frantically trying to get away from Pluto.

Maddie and Goofy.

William and Goofy.

Day 9 & 10: Ritz

Why is it I feel nostalgic when we go to the Ritz?

It’s not like I grew up going there. But I thoroughly enjoy every moment when we’re there. We used to like to count how many times the employees would say, “My pleasure”. We’ve lost count.

We rode Surrey bikes at Sunset.

Brad & William played Bocce ball while Maddie and I watched.

Brad & William spent a couple hours one morning on the driving range and putting green.

Brad & I took turns getting treatments at the spa. Always a winner.

We played in the pool.

And enjoyed the lazy river.

One night Brad got Flipper’s Pizza (the best pizza around –NYC-kind-of-good) and we ate it on the lawn as the sun set. William watched a DVD and Maddie ate what she could get her hands on (balls, leaves/grass, pizza bone, etc.) and Brad & I enjoyed a great Merlot.

Day 11: Pass-a-grill Beach

We joined my parents at the beach for one last day of vacation. The kids had a great time playing in the sand. William built and destroyed a sort of ‘sand mountain’. Madelyn ate the sand mountain.

Dinner at Crabby Bill's.

All in all – a great impromptu family vacation. Now back to reality.

Wedding Bells

2008-07-23T21:42:00.001-04:00

Our friends got married last weekend. It was a very sweet ceremony.
Our little guy was their ring bearer. Here are a couple pics.

William all decked out in his rented tuxedo. Boy, it's fun to try to get a 3 year old in formal wear.

William, Ashley and Adam & Katie Parham :)

Seasons passing

2008-07-18T21:51:00.000-04:00

A season has now passed in our lives. In Brad's life. In our family's life. IBMs time has come and gone as of midnight last night.
I think for a long time we expected Brad would be an 'IBMer' until he retired. But given his job climate this year, we were both feeling like IBMs time had come and gone for our family but we didn't know what that meant. What does it mean?
God has another plan.
When we found out he would be moving on, I felt very unsettled. But I knew, I know God is faithful and He would undoubtedly provide.
And He has.
Brad will start his new job at the beginning of August. So for the next 2 1/2 weeks what will we do?
What we love to do.
Go on vacation.
It does seem appropriate. Like a celebration. Saying good bye to the old and looking forward with excitement and anticipation for what lies ahead.

Baby Dedication

2008-07-17T08:21:00.006-04:00

Sunday we had Madelyn dedicated at church. It was a very sweet time.

Ring Bearer Video

2008-06-24T01:22:00.000-04:00

Here's a short video of William's first performance as ring bearer.
We don't have video of him jumping over the wedding dress or picking up the flower girl's flowers. That will just live on in our memories. Something we'll of course share at his own wedding.

Mount Vernon

2008-06-23T08:43:00.001-04:00

A couple weeks ago we went to Brad's nephew's wedding in Mt Vernon, IL. William was the ring bearer.
It's the first time either of the kids have been up there & it was a totally new experience. First of all, traveling by plane with 2 kids was . . . OK. Not horrible. Not easy. But then again, airports post 9.11 aren't easy - even without kids.

We went for a week so we got to spend a lot of time with Brad's brother and family.

One day we went on the boat. As you can see, William got to help uncle Steve drive.

Another day we drove 30 minutes south to visit the town where my dad grew up. We hit the places that I remember most.

The house my grandparents owned when my sister & I were kids. We'd spend a couple weeks each summer there playing with our cousins. Good memories.

The church my grandparents attended and my grandfather helped build.

And then . . . the donut shop.

We of course, had to partake in the "cream horn".
I remember my grandparents having these sugary treats around the house during the summer. Last year my dad had a craving for "cream horns" and had a couple dozen shipped to him in Florida. I remember loving them as a child. And now, my children got to try them and they are also big fans of the "cream horn". Evidence follows . . .

"Yea, that WAS mine. You can have it now."

"Mom, give me more!"

"Not enough. More"

William's sugar crash from this little stop was HORRIBLE.

Remember, I said this trip was a totally new experience. Besides the lake & boat trip - another new experience was the farm across the street from my brother-in-law's house. He took Brad & William over to feed the cows.

I wasn't there - so I don't know what was going on during this picture. But it looks like William might be trying to grab hold of the cow's tongue and Brad is trying to pull his hand away.

Anyone remember fireflies? Or lightning bugs? I remember catching them and pulling there little "light butts" off. Quite cruel now that I think about it. Well, Brad and William spent several nights hunting the lightning bugs. William finally got one in his insect container. He was so excited. He did NOT pull the insect apart.

Saturday finally arrived. This was William's first time in a tux. How handsome he looked.

"This ring bearer stuff is tough"

The wedding was smack dab in the middle of nap time. Can I hear a, "Ohhhhh noooo" from any other preschooler parents? I was very concerned it was going to be a disaster and that he would totally ruin the wedding.
He did not.

Especially if you exclude the part when he left his spot at the front of the church and walked in front of the pastor who was mid-speech and then jumped over the bride's train. Yes, he jumped over her train. Uh huh. Yep. BUT - he didn't stomp on it.

Then there was the part when he proceeded back up the aisle he had just walked down picking up the flowers the flower girl had dropped.

I know my son. He is a handful with a nap. Given the time of the ceremony + no nap . . . it could have been worse.

Ring bearer and his family.
Maddie slept through the ceremony.

At the family luncheon on Sunday.
Brad's family (the newlyweds - Zane & Matt, us, Steve & Debbie, and Brittney).

Project Completed

2008-06-22T16:03:00.005-04:00

My mother's mother was a great seamstress.
My mother was a great seamstress. (I say "was" because she hasn't glanced in the direction of a sewing machine in 10 years ;)
One might think I could sew. Or at least possess the talent to sew.

Sooo . . . a sweet friend of mine who is very artistic and talented has agreed to teach me to sew. We've been at it since the beginning of May, and I finally completed my first project.

I'm not a good completer. I start many a-things. I finish very few.
*My honeymoon scrapbook - not completed.
*Our scrapbook of fabulous vacations before children - not completed.
*My son's first year baby book - not completed.
*Home projects - started, not finished.
*Every women's bible study (except Daniel) - started with great enthusiasm, not completed.

So now I can add an accomplishment in the "Completed" column. John Grisham novels, Daniel Bible study, college, and now . . . a hand-embroidered slip dress for my daughter.

I'm attaching pictures. I completed the dress on Thursday night and she wore the dress to celebrate her 9 month birthday on Friday. Wow, Maddie is 9 months already! Crazy.

Now since I come from 2+ generations of pianists and musicians on both sides of my family, I should be able to play the piano also. Something to tackle later in life.

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-17T22:02:00.000-04:00

We had a nice Father's Day together. It was as laid back as we could do given 2 kids and our normal Sunday morning schedule.

My husband is a great spouse. And he is a great dad. You can tell his children love him!

6 years and counting

2008-05-31T22:10:00.001-04:00

We just celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. We took a long weekend and enjoyed being alone.

We rode all the rides we want to ride when we go to Disney but can't because we've got kids. That was a blast.

On our way to dinner & fireworks at EPCOT.

We relaxed at the spa for several days. Fabulous.

The highlight was dinner at Emeril's at the chef's table. The table was located in the kitchen where we got to watch all the action. The chef cooked a special 6+ course meal designed just for us. It was so incredible. I ate so much that I hurt in the middle of the night.

Brad & me with the chefs.

Milestones

2008-05-06T16:34:00.003-04:00

Our little girl is moving along so good, now 7 months old.

We just discovered her third tooth. Now 2 on the bottom, one on top. She's getting ready for steaks in June with Uncle Steve & clan! She's heard her daddy talk about the 'Grill Master' in Illinois and wanted to make sure she got in on the goodies.

She's trying so hard to crawl too (pics below). She can get her knees up under her body and push. But big girl can't hold up her torso at the same time. I find it amazing how she is growing so quickly.

I don't know if I'm the only mom that does this, but I find myself not wanting her to grow so quickly. I remember with William being so anxious for him to go to the next step. He started to drool and I kept checking for teeth. Then he got one, and I kept looking for the second one. Then the third one, etc. Once he started to crawl, I couldn't wait for him to walk. Then I couldn't wait until he was tall enough to ride the kiddie rides at Busch Gardens. Then I couldn't wait until he could talk in full sentences. Then it was carry on a little conversation. I didn't stop to enjoy the stage he was in, I was always looking for the next one.

With Madelyn, I'm totally different. I am slightly disappointed as she moves to the next stage of development, looking back often. I don't know why. It's so odd to me.

Either way, anxious for the next stage or slightly saddened by the new stage, it doesn't seem to stop or hurry along development. My little people are developing at the rate God himself intended.

Here are some pics of Maddie trying her hardest to crawl.

Ahhhh, Home Sweet Home

2008-05-05T16:06:00.008-04:00

Have you been away from your bed for a couple nights and when you get back home and sink into your comfy cozy bed, you realize how good home is and how great your bed is? If you pay attention, you might even catch your body saying, "Ahhh. This is good."
Last night was that way for all 4 of us. We were in Miami for 3 nights and Orlando for 2 nights. So by night 6 - we were all so happy to be back in our own beds. So happy that we slept an hour later than usual.
We beached it for 3 days in Miami. Fabulous. It was so nice to be with Brad. We had dinner each night by the pool that overlooked the ocean. Then we packed our bags and headed to Orlando for some Disney park fun. The Flower & Garden show is going on at EPCOT now so we wanted to do that. And William is tall enough to ride Test Track and Thunder Mountain Railroad, so we had a lot to do in 2 days. It was great.

I didn't pack enough clothes to get us through the weekend, but I decided we could find coin laundry. Surely there is coin laundry near the hotel or the parks, I thought! That's a joke! If anyone is interested in a business in Orlando - that's it. Coin laundry close to the theme parks. There's not one within, oh probably, 13 miles of Disney.

Fun times. Though so nice to be home. So nice that I don't think we're leaving the house today. I know your question . . . not even to party for Cinco de Mayo, you ask? No, not even.

EPCOT "FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW" PICTURES:

Brad and William taking time to smell the flowers.

Me and Maddie in front of the giant butterfly made out of flowers. This was at the entrance to the 'Butterfly Garden'.

One of the hundreds of butterflies inside the "Butterfly Garden".

William had said several times, "I'm hungry". So in the middle of the Nemo ride/exhibit he plopped down, popped open his Pringles and ate.

MAGIC KINGDOM PHOTOS:

In front of Cinderella's Castle
(Click on the picture to zoom in)

Family photo shot at the wishing well.

William's FIRST COCA-COLA!!!

This is Brad asking, "Where is my Coke!!!???"

For those of you who have spent time with William know that he and sugar don't mix.
Putting it nicely, he turns psycho. The general rule is . . . If YOU give him sugar, he's yours until after he's crashed. For that reason, he rarely has sugar. Brad let William have a little of his Coke. And the little psycho was quite fond of it.

This is William's answer to Brad, "Right here in my belly."

William's first time on Thunder Mountain Railroad . . .

On the way up the ramp to Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Almost to the train.

Not so excited now that he's on the ride. But we did it anyway.

Miami Pics

2008-05-02T15:22:00.002-04:00

Pics from our recent 'spur of the moment' trip. Not so 'spur' for Brad. But 'spur' for the rest of us. The late afternoons/evenings ended up being vacation-esque.

Brad and his babies.

On the South Beach boardwalk. This is not a new hair style for me . . . the wind was blowing pretty hard.

The view in the morning from our room.

William kept entertained in the pool. Whether it was making friends with German girls or playing with buckets - he thoroughly enjoyed the water.

While big brother played, Maddie discovered bubbles.

Ready. Set.

Jump!

The evening air was too cool for me and Maddie so we sat on the deck and watched the boys play in the pool.