Long time!

I have had a lot of people remind me that I need to update this thing! I feel that time just has flown by and the past month is a blur!

Halloween was a lot of fun. Reese was Nemo and Turner was of course Buzz again! They loved wearing their costumes and still are obsessed with dressing up! I think they wish it was Halloween all the time. We visited most of the grandparents and then Grandma PJ came trick or treating with us. It was a lot of fun! Here are some long over due photos from Halloween:

My Buzz and Nemo!

Nemo

Daddy and his kids!

Reese and her PJ

Buzz

After that we spent November running Turner to and from school and getting ready for Thanksgiving and Reese's birthday. Thanksgiving was fun. We went to Ryan's grandparents and had lunch. It was at 2, so the kids did not nap before hand. I was more than a little worried about this, but they did surprisingly well and we all survived. Then the weekend after we spent time putting up some holiday decorations outside and the stockings in the house. We cleaned a lot and got a lot of stuff done for Reese's birthday. It was a good weekend overall. The only really downside to November is that our family has been passing a cold around now for weeks. We have all had it and I have caught it for the second time. Poor Ryan had it so bad he finally had to see a doctor! Hopefully this means that we will all be feeling better for Christmas though!


Last week Reese turned 2!! It is amazing how fast the time flies. With her turning 2 also came the terrible 2's full force! It is crazy how awful my 2 children can be together. Sometimes I think that Ryan and I were completely insane for having them so close together, but then I know in the long run that it is going to be a wonderful thing. They really do love and comepletely depend on one another! It is amazing to think that we helped create and foster that type of bond between them. I hope that they are always as close as they are now!

So... on to Reese's birthday... it turned out to be a complete week of birthday stuff!! On Wednesday night Grandma and Pj came over and brought dinner and a cake! They gave Reese the Giddy up and Go pony. She was scared of it at first, but by the weekend she was riding it like a pro! Then on Thursday we took her to see Nanny and Pop Pop while Turner was at school and that night we had the Watchorn's over for dinner. Reese loved playing with Ryan and she got lots of fun presents from us and them and Aunt Erin... oh yeah, and her second cake! Then on Friday night we went to Grammy and Pop's for dinner and she got a cabbage patch doll, and fun story books and play dough... oh and an ice cream cake!! And finally on Saturday, after weeks of waiting, she had her My Little Pony brunch with all of her little girl friends! (and yes another cake!! haha) The party was a lot of fun! She has such good little girl friends! We all had a good time.The Winnie the Pooh cake!

The cake I made her! (it was pink inside!)

Family

Her ice cream cake at Grammy's

Her favorite gifts were her dress up stuff! (she got fairy and Fancy Nancy stuff too!)

Her My Little Pony cake

Reese and her friend Maisie

Princess Fairy Reese holding Paul

Fairy Reese riding her pony!

Away she goes!

On Sunday I woke up not feeling well, but trudged through and went to cut down our Christmas tree on the coldest day of the year! The tree is cute, but really small and I am already ready to take it down! The kids are taking ornaments off everytime I turn around!! Even though I LOVE this time of year I will be very excited when the tree is gone! I think that next year we will have more luck with them not touching it!

The other reason that this fall has been so busy is because Ryan is finishing his masters! After tonight he will be officially done! YAY Ryan! I am really happy for him, but even more for us. I know that he has been working really hard since the fall that Reese was born on this, but I have put a lot of work in supporting him through it and it was tough! At the end of the day I will be so glad to have my husband back!! YAY!

Reese is 2

So my baby is 2 today! I cannot believe it! I am a little emotional about it, but hanging in there! It is such a big milestone! I will definitely post pictures after her party this weekend from her 2nd year!!

Invisible Mother

I took this from my friend Becca's blog! It is really neat.


The Invisible Mother......

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously, not.

No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England ... Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals- we have no record of their names.

These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside
of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing pieces fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college forThanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Congrats Nicely Family

I am really excited for my good friend Barb because she had her second baby really early this morning!! Muriel Lucyann Nicely was born at 2:24am! She is healthy and weighs 8lbs 5ozs and is 20.5 inches long! Congrats to the Nicely family! We cannot wait to meet her!

Riding the pony

Reese is obsessed with ponies! She loves them all! She has My Little Ponies, books on ponies, other toy ponies... you name it and she has or wants the ponies! (all this is fitting because my sister has a pony and LOVES horses too) When I was born my grandmother's brother built all the future grand kids a rocking horse. Reese LOVES this. I think that this is her new obsession. She rocked on it for a while tonight, would get off and go back to it over and over again! It is so cute so we had to take pictures to post. (she is also obsessed with princesses... i think whatever her calling in life it is going to be expensive... hehe)

Reese riding!

So much fun!

Mom... please...

Fall time

I was in charge of doing a dessert for book club last night and since it has been sooo fall like for the past week, I decided to make pumpkin pie! Turner went to the store to get the ingredients with me and then we all made them together! Here are some cute photos of the kids helping me out! It is so fun to bake with them!

Turner was the stirrer and Reese helped with the crust!

Good job Turner!

Pumpkin time

Last weekend we went with Ryan's mother to Valley View farm to get pumpkins! It was so much fun. The kids are really excited about fall and Halloween. Here are some photos from our adventure!

Turner posing by the pumpkins!

Both kids in the fun little kids maze! Reese LOVED IT! Turner thought that it was fun, but only wanted to go one time. Reese went through it like 5 times!

A big smile the whole time.

She ran out and tight back in again over and over.

Hmm... how tall are we...


The kids put there faces in all five of the cut outs. They thought this was really funny!

Reese picked out her pumpkin! And she carried it (with a little help!!).

Turner and I waiting for the wagon to put his in!

Grammy and her Reese!

Grammy and her Turner!

A fun day was had by all!

Reese time!

One of the most amazing benefits to Turner going to school is that I am able to get the one on one time I really crave with Reese. It is not that I don't love spending time with both of my kids, but I never had the extended one on one time with Reese that I was lucky enough to have had with Turner. We do a lot of fun things together and she is finally adapting to leaving Turner somewhere for a little while. We hang out with friends, go to stores, or sometimes come home and hang out together. I have noticed that she is definitely more outgoing and really excited about showing me things when she does not have to compete for my attention. It is amazing how she is becoming such a sweet and smart little girl! I am absolutely enchanted by her! One day we came home and made brownies together... here are some pics from that day!

Spoon: Check!


Stir: Check

Big Smile: Check Check!!

I LOVE HER!!!

Turner's art

I am so proud of Turner and how well he is doing at school! He is bringing home and overflow of art work everyday! He says it is one of his favorite things to do at school... hmmm, I wonder where he gets that from... hehe! I am just so proud that he is loving school and bringing home all the fun stuff to show Ryan and I! Here are a few he brought home a few weeks ago...

His first cut and paste project


It has an apple poem on the back!

He brings home a new letter every week
(I need to get more pics... we are on letter F in real time!)

Knitting

I have become completely addicted to knitting since Rachel taught me how! I love it and it is challenging, yet it comes pretty naturally. I love being able to make something out of 2 sticks and some yarn! Here are some of the things that I have made in the past month.

Called the Foliage hat!
(it looks like fall leaves!)

closer up

A hat for one of the twins

closer up again!

AHHH

In the past few weeks we have been trying to cut down bills and save money. Part of it is because we found out that I will not be having the twins but one day a week now, and the other is because we want to be saving more and paying off more debt. So we traded in one of the cars and bought a 2008 new Nissan versa which we LOVE! It is getting at least 28mpg and we have save 50 dollars in the past 2 weeks in gas already! It is awesome. We are also switching to Verizon Fios for internet phone and TV. It is going to be a lot cheaper than the comcast we have now. Well, it has been a complete nightmare today! Poor Ryan has had to deal with them all day and it is basically all messed up because of a compter error, and then transferred to us! Great!!! So all in all once everything is set up and working we will be saving a lot of money.... but part of me is wondering is the money worth the stress?? I am sure the answer is yes... it is just getting there that is trying!

Settling

So I am settling into the school routine now, and the weather is getting cooler which means..... FALL! I am getting excited for fall and all the festive activities, so in honor of fall I changed the background to fall themed! YAY!

Changing it

So I am NOT going to leave my background like this, but in the process of changing it I ran into difficulties and now I have to wait for the hubby to get some time to fix it! Don't worry, the blinding white will not be around much longer!

First Day of School

This week Turner had his first day of school! It was emotional for me, being that I have been with him ever day since he was born and now he is big enough to go to school! Needless to say he LOVES LOVES LOVES it! By the second day he was running through the door with out looking back. He has so much fun and adores his teachers. He will be going 3 days a week for 2.5 hours at a time. There is only 11 kids in his class and he is already talking about his new friends! Ryan and I are so excited about this new step! He is such an amazing boy!

Leaving the house!

Getting in the car!

Outside school with Daddy!

Posing behind the sign after school!!

Team Spirit!

Ryan and I were both born and raised in Maryland, which means we were raised as huge Orioles, Ravens, and Maryland Basketball fans! Then Ryan went to Penn State main all four years so you have to add Nittany Lion fans to that list too! Needless to say we are raising our kids the right way as hugs sports fans! Last year our christmas card was us in PSU jerseys, then earlier this summer I put up a link to our O's pictures at Turner's first game, and now is the time for the most exciting... RAVENS!!! Ryan and I went to opening game thanks to my mom and Priscilla! We had an amazing time and we were all four decked out in Ravens gear! Here are some cute photos of Reese in her Raves outfit! (my mother does not approve... she said there is too many athletic genes in her blood to be a cheerleader... we think she is adorable and we may be dragging grandma to cheerleading competitions in the future ;) )

Outer Banks, NC

Our little family had its first official family vacation this year. We planned a trip to Duck, NC which is in the Outer Banks with some friends of ours. This is the first trip that we have taken without one of our families. We went with our next door neighbors, Marge, Dave and their 19 month old son Ryan and also my good college friends Rachel and Matt. We rented a huge house called Moby Duck about a quarter mile from the beach. The house was amazing. It had its own private pool, hot tub, pool table, amazing kitchen and a ton of bed rooms with master bathrooms each with a whirlpool tub! We want to live there forever!

It was so nice to be able to have some fun with our little family. The first day on the beach both kids were a little hesitant. Reese much more so than Turner though. By the end of the first day on the beach though both kids were running in the little waves and playing in the sand. Thank you to Grammy and Pop for the new buckets and stuff! It was really neat to be able to experience the beach from Turner and Reese's perspective. I know I have mentioned that I love having kids because it gives me the opportunity to see everything in a new light through their eyes! It is so neat to see their eyes get big at the magnitude of the ocean and beach. It was fun to look at sand as a blank palate there to be made into the most amazing of structures. It is truly special to be able to take a step back and get a new look at the world that I take so for granted!

The pool is always a hit with my kiddos. They loved swimming, and will both hop right in with their tubes on. Turner got so brave he was jumping off the side of the pool with his tube on. The both loved it. They loved that Uncle Matt and Aunt Rachel would play for hours with them in the water. We all had a great time every afternoon playing in the pool and then afterward chilling in the hot tub! I think my whole little family wants a hot tub at home now! Maybe we can convince Marge and Dave to pitch in and we can put one in between the houses ;)

The one down side to the trip was that we had to come home a day early because Hanna hit the day we were supposed to leave. Other than that though there was not a cloud in the sky the whole time we were there and the temp was 86 degrees F and beautiful! We were so lucky with the weather!

Other fun things that we did at the beach was getting to see the Wildlife museum, Corolla Lighthouse, play on the playground, take walks, a little shopping, having lunch out with our friends, big "family" dinners with everyone around the big table, flying kites, and fun times with the adults after the kids went to sleep! Here are some fun pictures from our trip:

Not so sure about the sand

My Favorites on the Beach

Enough with the camera Mom!

More water


And MORE water!


Baby Feet in the sand!


Contemplating life!


Sadie swimming


Jump!


SPLASH!


Up for air


Mommy kisses


Hello camera!


Water belongs in the pool Reese!


Hot Tub time!


More Mommy Kisses!


Love my baby girl!


Daddy snuggles!


Kiddos


Sibling LOVE!


Daddy kisses!


Family 2008


Mommy time


Mommy and Reese


Mommy and Turner


Family Footprints


Just hours before Hanna hit!
Goodbye Duck!