We just got back from another visit at Mimi's house, and we are exhauseted, as usual! Is it the excitement, the activity, or the fresh air that wipes us out so completely? Anyway, we had a great time. Jessica came over from the city to visit, I got a hot new hair cut, and the girls played until they fell over. Oh, and we had a little birthday party for me, with lasagne, flowers, and sparkling wine! Jessica got me a genuine emerald ring from Columbia - it's really beautiful. I got a little scrapbookng done, just enough to finish the end-of-the-month challenges. Now that I'm back home, I have a ton of projects to finish!

Mimi always comes up with great activities for the girls. This week she took chalk up to the tennis court and drew them a maze and a hopscotch thingie. They were so cute going around in a spiral! And Lauren really got the hang of hopscotch, and got pretty good at hopping on one foot. I'll have to draw them some mazes on our cement pad!

Oh - and I almost forget one of the best things about Mimi's house

! The "pet" frog in the patio pond. The girls love to hunt for him by (and in) the little pond. Poor frog! I like to try to find him every time I walk by the little pond, and see how he's doing. It's been fun watching him grow all summer, from a tiny frog to a good-sized croaker!

In the Mood to Blog

There's nothing like a fun family outing to get me in the mood to blog! Yesterday we went to annual Lodge cookout for Greg's Masonic lodge at the Woodboro park. I always enjoy going to the cookout, mainly because everyone dotes on my kids so much! I didn't go last year, because I was too pregnant and too tired from moving. I think Greg took Lauren by himself, so it had been a couple of years since anyone had seen Melissa. And of course, no one had met Vincent yet!

The girls really had a great time playing at the playground. Lauren was all over every piece of equipment, and it didn't take her long to find another little girls to play with. Melissa was so funny, she just wanted to go on the spiral slide over and over! She even made the little "wheeee!" sound when she slid down! The girls were ecstatic when Greg spun them on the merry-go-round, and helped them use the teeter totter. He spent a lot of time playing with them in between socializing with his friends. And I got to do a little bit of everything: eating, playing, talking, and taking pictures! We were all pretty pooped when we got abck home, and had to revive with a little ice cream! All in all, a really fun family afternoon!

Finally Fun at the Beach!

Sigh...summer is slipping away! I promised myself that the kids and I would have more fun this summer than last, but so far we're not screaming with excitement. Oh, the kids have had fun: carnival with daddy, swimming at the lake, playing at Mimi's, and running naked in the backyard. I really wanted an action-packed summer for all of us, though. I just didn't realize that action-packed and baby just don't go together. I love my little guy, but he slows me down a tad! So I was really excited when Greg offered to watch Vincent for the afternoon while I took the girls to the beach at Greenbriar. Let the summer fun begin! The weather was perfect - sunny, hot, and breezy. The girls and I swam and splashed, and played mermaids. It was great girl time, and although the girls may not remember that one day out of the summer, I will remember it forever. How many more years until swimming with their mom will be totally embarrassing? I plan to squeeze as much joy out of these opportunities as possible!

Vacations are so Overrated

I feel tired just thinking about my "vacation" with the girls. It started off well enough - driving up to mom and dads to spend a week visiting them and Jessica. But, as is usually the case, things did not run as smoothly as I could have wished. Well, really, it was a good time... I just can't expect that kids will suddenly turn into angels just because I want to relax! Being at Mimi's house is always nice. I love being in the Poconos, where the weather is cooler and there is so much more room to breathe. And of course it was great spending time with Jessica. The girls just adore their aunt Jessica!

Going to the lake for the LAA meeting was a little trickier. The kids don't do very well in unfamiliar places, and I have to admit I was at a bit of a loss without my usual conviences. I think Lauren had the most fun out of all of us, and Vincent and I had the hardest time. Lauren is a total mermaid, as well as a social butterfly! If she could have, she would have spent every moment in the water! I was blown away by how well she swims! And she was blown away by all her new "cousins"! Meeting her cousins, aunts and uncles again was like a first meeting for her. She remembered a little of Kali's wedding, but was too little to remember any individual people.

Waterfront day was a blast! Lauren was a little frustrated that the games were for grown-ups, but she loved the excitement of it all! Melissa, being a little shyer, stayed by me in the sidelines. She had a hard time skipping her nap, and I could tell that all the activities were starting to wear on her. And little Vincent - well, he wasn't too happy about being in he sun and missing his afternoon nap! We had to leave the festivities early to put him down for his nap, and I conked out too! Mom warned me how difficult a trip to the lake was with babies, but as usual I had to find out for myself.

But it was totally worth it to see my family, and to introduce the girls to our wonderful tradition. I hope Lauren will remember it! All in all, it was a fun-filled, family-filled week, but I am glad to be back home with our cribs, toys, TV, and Daddy! Maybe next year he'll come along......

It's been a Hard Week

It wasn't so much the three horriffic poop incidents. Or waking up three times a night with the baby. Even the trip to the ER alone wouldn't have done it. All those things, and a few more, combined to make it one really hard week for me! The doctors at the hospital think I have a gall bladder infection, and it seems that surgery will be inevitable. That's hard to hear - almost as hard as the low-fat diet I have to go on! Melissa seems to be balking a little at potty training, and we've had quite a few "accidents". I think I might be pushing her too hard, so I'm going to try to ease back a little bit.

There was some silver on my storm cloud, though. The scrapbooking club I've joined has inspired me to create a few great pages, and it's keeping me excited about scrapping. I have a few pages to post here, and I hope to update them regularly.

Greg has been working like a man posessed on the new deck, and it is almost finished. We had some beautiful weather this weekend, so it was the perfect time to get it done. I snuck a snap shot of him working - shhhh! Don't tell!

I'm really looking forward to spending time at mom & dad's with Jessica, and seeing the family at large up at the lake. I hope it will give me the opportunity to relax and socialize, and maybe improve my health a little. A few days at the lake is always rejuvinating!

I missed out, big time

The Smithsburg Carnival is in town! Greg took the girls this evening, while I stayed at home with the baby and a headache. Apparently, I should have sucked it up and gone anyway! They came back revved up, full of stories about rides, prizes, and treats. Lauren told me she went on a dragon roller coaster, a turtle ride, a potato sack slide, a pirate ship, and some kind of spinning ride I didn't quite understand. Melissa went on the roller coaster and the spinning ride, suprising Greg with her bravery. Then I heard about fishing for sharks, and winning prizes. The picture is of the girls clutching their prizes at home. Greg gave me a hard time about all the photo-ops I missed! I have to confess, I was mentally scrapping pages with photos I didn't have as the girls were telling me their stories! Lauren also brought home a bag of cotton candy, and the begging has already begun. I would love to go with the whole family tomorrow, but I've been told that Daddy broke the bank on this trip! The girls are too funny, tumbling over each other to tell me about the dragon ride! There's a lot of fire-breathing going on in the house right now!

Okay, so this is my first post, and I feel a little silly writing to no one in particular. I've never been the type to keep a diary or journal, so bear with me if this is a little awkward at first! I really just want a place to post photos, family updates, and of course scrapbook pages. I hope to update this about once a month, after I get everything up and running. Wish me luck!