Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Lake Arial
Friday, after work, we headed up north for a weekend away with some friends. It took about two and a half hours to get there. Adam was so exhausted that he went to bed shortly after we arrived. There were three families (including ours) and 5 kids. The house had an arcade room in the basement with a pool table, five games, and a juke box.
Owen had an absolute blast! He loved playing with Cameron and met two new friends, Ella and Grace. Actually, he met Ella before, but he was only a year old so he doesn't remember. He and Ella were pretty much inseparable the entire trip. We couldn't believe how well they played together. I'm talking HOURS of playing nicely together. When I had a moment alone with Owen, which was rare because he was playing with Ella almost the entire time, he would tell me that Ella is his new best friend and that he really likes her and he wishes we could stay at the house for a long time. He did not want to leave today. Ella's family lives in Philadelphia so I doubt we'll see them too often. But we decided it would be fun for Owen and Ella to be pen pals. Owen can't wait to write her a letter and draw her a picture. He's already told us twice since we left that he misses her.
Friday night after we put the kids to bed we played a really fun game. I can't remember the name of it, but it was similar to Apples to Apples. It's so much fun to play games with adults.
Saturday morning we woke up to a few inches of freshly fallen snow! Great conditions for skiing and snow tubing. We stayed in a gated community that had its own little skiing and snow tubing mountain.
The kids had a great time tubing, however I ended up coming back to the house with Adam. He wasn't tall enough to tube and we probably could have gotten away with it, but I was nervous for him to try it since he just got his cast off his leg.
He did enjoy playing in the snow for a while before we headed back. Next time I hope all four of us can tube and ski together!
After tubing, Owen tried skiing for the first time.
I was apprehensive about him skiing because he tends to get frustrated and cry when physical things don't come easily for him. But we both agreed that it was good for him to at least give it a try. Well he ended up loving it even more than tubing!
After a morning on the mountain, everyone came back and relaxed/played until dinner. Mike was able to call lots of deer over to him and feed them an apple.
Poor Cameron woke up from her nap with a temp over 103 degrees. So Chris and Julie ended up going home. We were sad they couldn't stay, but Cameron felt horrible and it's no fun being away when you're sick.
This morning we had waffles and played some more before heading back home. I don't want Adam to grow up quickly, however I do look forward to when he is able to do more like go skiing. Owen is at the BEST age right now and it's so fun taking him places and watching him experience new things. I think he had a permanent smile on his face the entire weekend.
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| This picture is so funny to me. Jumping on the bed while picking his wedgy and his nose. Typical boy! |
Owen had an absolute blast! He loved playing with Cameron and met two new friends, Ella and Grace. Actually, he met Ella before, but he was only a year old so he doesn't remember. He and Ella were pretty much inseparable the entire trip. We couldn't believe how well they played together. I'm talking HOURS of playing nicely together. When I had a moment alone with Owen, which was rare because he was playing with Ella almost the entire time, he would tell me that Ella is his new best friend and that he really likes her and he wishes we could stay at the house for a long time. He did not want to leave today. Ella's family lives in Philadelphia so I doubt we'll see them too often. But we decided it would be fun for Owen and Ella to be pen pals. Owen can't wait to write her a letter and draw her a picture. He's already told us twice since we left that he misses her.
Friday night after we put the kids to bed we played a really fun game. I can't remember the name of it, but it was similar to Apples to Apples. It's so much fun to play games with adults.
Saturday morning we woke up to a few inches of freshly fallen snow! Great conditions for skiing and snow tubing. We stayed in a gated community that had its own little skiing and snow tubing mountain.
After a morning on the mountain, everyone came back and relaxed/played until dinner. Mike was able to call lots of deer over to him and feed them an apple.
Friday, January 20, 2012
It got me thinking...
Yesterday I checked the mail and a letter came from Edinboro University letting Mike know that he's been accepted into the graduate program for his Superintendent's Letter of Eligibility. Once completed, he'll be eligible to work in an upper administration job or be a superintendent.
Eight, or so, years ago I remember telling Mike that he better take some classes for his permanent certification before it was too late. He had just moved back to the area and we started living together. I told him that I was getting my Master's degree and he should just enroll in the same program and we could do it together. We took almost all our Master's classes together and while there were a few times I wanted to kill him, it was actually kinda fun being in class together. Many of our classes were all weekend long and we had to drive about 45 minutes to get to the hotel where the classes were held. Now, when we drive past the hotel where many of our classes took place, we actually miss it. I remember him thanking me over and over for motivating him to get his Master's degree.
Well, a couple years after that he got his second Master's so that he could be a principal. The table has turned and now he is definitely more motivated to take classes and further his career and read educational research than I probably ever will be. And I am proud of him.
Tonight I was thinking that there's probably 2,000 jobs I'd rather have than be a Superintendent. Then I started thinking about my first jobs. My very first one was at Auntie Anne's Pretzels at the mall. I loved that job. Rolling and baking the pretzels was tons of fun, but even more fun than that was eating all the pretzels I wanted for free. Not the best thing if you're trying to lose weight, but better than working at McDonald's I guess. I'd get mine without butter to try to be healthier, but then dip them in cheese. Ha! Every time I hear that "We Were Only Freshman" song it makes me think of working at Auntie Anne's. That song must have played on the radio every single time I was working. I've had a pretzel making kit in my pantry for a while and I think I may just get it out and roll some pretzels for old times sake :)
I don't remember why I quit Auntie Anne's. It could have been that the mall was really scary at night and I had to have a security guard walk me to my car in the dark parking lot at the end of my shift. I moved onto bigger and better things. My next job was at Sears in the jewelry department. I remember having to go through quite a bit of training for that job and even take some tests. I enjoyed working there too. It was right up my alley because I LOVE to organize things. No one EVER shopped at Sears except for around Christmas time. I'd spend my entire shift organizing and designing the jewelry displays. I will never forget some of my customers that would come in with questions about their "diamonds" or to find out if the ring their boyfriend bought them was real. I'd use the diamond detector device I had to test it only to have it make a horrible buzz noise indicating it was NOT a real diamond. Some of them got ticked! I'm still pretty handy at replacing watch batteries and taking out links in watch bands too. Once I had all the jewelry looking nice, I'd venture out into the store to organize the clothing and make sure it was all hanging on the racks in the same direction or fold some sweaters and shirts. I miss that job sometimes too.
On a completely different topic...
Here are the Reager House we are very sad about Sarah Burke's death. Mike, probably even more than I am, since he had the privilege of hanging out with her for a couple days when he still lived in the Poconos and worked at a ski shop near the mountain. Every year they had a movie premiere and famous and some not-too-well-known yet skiers and snowboarders would come and they'd have a big party and show a movie with the athletes doing all their tricks. She wasn't as popular back then as she is now, but Mike said she was the most down-to-earth, kindest person at the premiere. Mike and his friend were joking around with her a lot that night and she signed a poster that said something like, "To Sarah... You've got a great guy... very well behaved:)" He has that poster hanging in his shed. So in honor of Sarah Burke, we will be taking Owen skiing for the first time this weekend.
Have a great one!
Eight, or so, years ago I remember telling Mike that he better take some classes for his permanent certification before it was too late. He had just moved back to the area and we started living together. I told him that I was getting my Master's degree and he should just enroll in the same program and we could do it together. We took almost all our Master's classes together and while there were a few times I wanted to kill him, it was actually kinda fun being in class together. Many of our classes were all weekend long and we had to drive about 45 minutes to get to the hotel where the classes were held. Now, when we drive past the hotel where many of our classes took place, we actually miss it. I remember him thanking me over and over for motivating him to get his Master's degree.
Well, a couple years after that he got his second Master's so that he could be a principal. The table has turned and now he is definitely more motivated to take classes and further his career and read educational research than I probably ever will be. And I am proud of him.
Tonight I was thinking that there's probably 2,000 jobs I'd rather have than be a Superintendent. Then I started thinking about my first jobs. My very first one was at Auntie Anne's Pretzels at the mall. I loved that job. Rolling and baking the pretzels was tons of fun, but even more fun than that was eating all the pretzels I wanted for free. Not the best thing if you're trying to lose weight, but better than working at McDonald's I guess. I'd get mine without butter to try to be healthier, but then dip them in cheese. Ha! Every time I hear that "We Were Only Freshman" song it makes me think of working at Auntie Anne's. That song must have played on the radio every single time I was working. I've had a pretzel making kit in my pantry for a while and I think I may just get it out and roll some pretzels for old times sake :)
I don't remember why I quit Auntie Anne's. It could have been that the mall was really scary at night and I had to have a security guard walk me to my car in the dark parking lot at the end of my shift. I moved onto bigger and better things. My next job was at Sears in the jewelry department. I remember having to go through quite a bit of training for that job and even take some tests. I enjoyed working there too. It was right up my alley because I LOVE to organize things. No one EVER shopped at Sears except for around Christmas time. I'd spend my entire shift organizing and designing the jewelry displays. I will never forget some of my customers that would come in with questions about their "diamonds" or to find out if the ring their boyfriend bought them was real. I'd use the diamond detector device I had to test it only to have it make a horrible buzz noise indicating it was NOT a real diamond. Some of them got ticked! I'm still pretty handy at replacing watch batteries and taking out links in watch bands too. Once I had all the jewelry looking nice, I'd venture out into the store to organize the clothing and make sure it was all hanging on the racks in the same direction or fold some sweaters and shirts. I miss that job sometimes too.
On a completely different topic...
Here are the Reager House we are very sad about Sarah Burke's death. Mike, probably even more than I am, since he had the privilege of hanging out with her for a couple days when he still lived in the Poconos and worked at a ski shop near the mountain. Every year they had a movie premiere and famous and some not-too-well-known yet skiers and snowboarders would come and they'd have a big party and show a movie with the athletes doing all their tricks. She wasn't as popular back then as she is now, but Mike said she was the most down-to-earth, kindest person at the premiere. Mike and his friend were joking around with her a lot that night and she signed a poster that said something like, "To Sarah... You've got a great guy... very well behaved:)" He has that poster hanging in his shed. So in honor of Sarah Burke, we will be taking Owen skiing for the first time this weekend.
Have a great one!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Our Weekend
We had such a nice weekend. Friday night we didn't do much. Saturday morning I got my hair cut chopped. She cut it much shorter than I wanted, but I am getting used to it. After that I went shopping. By myself. It was heavenly. I rarely go shopping for myself so when I do, I enjoy every second of it.
Saturday night my mom took Adam and I to see Sesame Street Live at the Hershey Theater. We went out to dinner at Houlihans first where Adam was very well behaved once he had a huge bowl of french fries in front of him. That boy is DEFINITELY my child with his appreciation for a good french fry :) Then, we headed over to see "Elmo". Adam was very excited and was sporting his brother's Elmo shirt that he wore when we took him a few years ago.
Everything was going well. We had GREAT seats. Adam had a lollipop that the adorable little girl in front of him was eyeing up.
Then the kids were able to get up and dance in the aisles. Adam joined right in. So stinkin cute to see all the little ones dancing.
And then, it happened.... he spotted a little boy, about his age, relaxing on his mommy with A GREEN NUNNER. The same one we gave up over a month ago, except for nap/bed time. He's been doing really well and barely ever asks for it. I think in his little mind the boy had taken HIS nunner. Well, all of a sudden Adam started saying "No" over and over and over again. He was not at all interested in the show after that point and threw himself on the floor crying. Thank the Lord that his meltdown occurred 30 seconds before intermission. We moved our things to the back of the auditorium thinking we would probably have to go. He calmed down a bit and said "Elmo" like he wanted to pull it together and stay for the rest of the show. Then, Lala walked him over to the balloon man. He was selling big Elmo balloons for $10 and only a grandma that loves her grandson would spend that much on a balloon that will either deflate in less than 24 hours or float to the top of the theater only to be taken down after the show and resold for $10 to the next sucker :)
After a few minutes of running around with the balloon, I told him he could hold his balloon, but he had to sit down. Well, that didn't go well and the crying and fit throwing returned, so we left. We love him to pieces, but I have a feeling there are going to be lots of tears, timeouts, and talks about appropriate behavior and our expectations in the months (and years) to come. Oh, the joys of parenthood.
Sunday evening Mike and I went out to dinner with some friends. We had a great time and are looking forward to some more double dates we have planned with friends.
Today I had off work for MLK day. Unfortunately, Mike still had to work. Fortunately, my friends texted me late Sunday night about getting together for a playdate! Owen and Adam were in heaven playing with Cohen and Tanner's toys. Neither of them wanted to leave and Owen asked me about 64 times if we could pleeeeeeeaaaaaaasssssssseeeeeeeeeeee go play there every Saturday.
Tonight, Mike and Owen worked on putting together another motorized truck. Owen was really getting upset with him because he kept hogging the truck that Santa got for Owen. So he got one for himself (this one is used).
I have to admit, they are a lot of fun and I'm kinda excited to have races with Mike. We're into friendly competition like that. Yesterday, it was about 20 degrees outside, but the boys REALLY needed to go outside to run around and release some energy. So Mike and I did Rock-Paper-Scissors to see who had to take them out. We do best out of three. I won :)
Tomorrow, it's back to the grind. We have a fun weekend planned so hopefully this week goes quickly!
Saturday night my mom took Adam and I to see Sesame Street Live at the Hershey Theater. We went out to dinner at Houlihans first where Adam was very well behaved once he had a huge bowl of french fries in front of him. That boy is DEFINITELY my child with his appreciation for a good french fry :) Then, we headed over to see "Elmo". Adam was very excited and was sporting his brother's Elmo shirt that he wore when we took him a few years ago.
Sunday evening Mike and I went out to dinner with some friends. We had a great time and are looking forward to some more double dates we have planned with friends.
Today I had off work for MLK day. Unfortunately, Mike still had to work. Fortunately, my friends texted me late Sunday night about getting together for a playdate! Owen and Adam were in heaven playing with Cohen and Tanner's toys. Neither of them wanted to leave and Owen asked me about 64 times if we could pleeeeeeeaaaaaaasssssssseeeeeeeeeeee go play there every Saturday.
Tonight, Mike and Owen worked on putting together another motorized truck. Owen was really getting upset with him because he kept hogging the truck that Santa got for Owen. So he got one for himself (this one is used).
Tomorrow, it's back to the grind. We have a fun weekend planned so hopefully this week goes quickly!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
More Fun in the Tub
Now that Adam is able to take regular baths we've been having lots of bathtime fun.
Tonight, Owen asked to try out his grooming kit that he got from Lala and Steve for Christmas.
(Sorry for the blurry pictures. Bad lighting, wrong lens, and probably wrong settings too, but I am still learning :)
Oh my, did they ever have a good time!
Lots and lots of laughs.
Priceless.
Tonight, Owen asked to try out his grooming kit that he got from Lala and Steve for Christmas.
(Sorry for the blurry pictures. Bad lighting, wrong lens, and probably wrong settings too, but I am still learning :)
Oh my, did they ever have a good time!
Lots and lots of laughs.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Random Act of Kindness Week
I just found out Random Act of Kindness Week is February 13-19th and I can't wait!!!! I never knew there was a week dedicated toward random kind acts. Until a few minutes ago, I actually thought that it was January 13-19th so today Owen and I spent the entire car ride home talking about the things we are planning to do for others during this special week. He's super excited. Tomorrow I'll have to break it to him that it is a full month away. Oops! Oh well. That just gives us more time to get ready.
Here are some of the random acts we are planning on doing. We still need to come up with some more.
1. Pay the bill for the car behind us in the drive through at McDonalds.
2. Make a new picture for Ollie (my grandmother) and take cookies to the nurses in her nursing home.
3. Take a dinner to a friend that just had her baby (at 31 weeks!).
4. Take breakfast (pancakes) to a special friend.
5. Take a special treat (cookies and hot chocolate?) to our local police and fire station and make them a card thanking them for keeping our neighborhood safe.
Along with the gift, I thought we'd print out cards that say, "You've Been RAKed" "Random Act of Kindness Week, February 13-19."
I got the idea for the cards from this blogger and I believe she got it from another blogger. She has the BEST ideas for recipes, classroom activities, and fun things to do with your kids.
I love the blog world :)
Saturday, January 7, 2012
No More Cast!
Sometimes I really struggle with coming up with a title for my posts. Tonight was one of those times. Anyway, this week was rough for me! Going back to work after Christmas break is always so depressing. Once I get back into the swing of things, I'm fine, but the first few days are tough. On Thursday morning Adam got his cast off!! I'm shocked at how well he is walking and I think the doctor was surprised to see him get right down and start running around. He told me he would probably limp and want to be held a lot for about 3 weeks and if you saw him now, you'd probably not even know he ever had a broken leg! His doctor also told us that he really shouldn't jump for about 3 weeks. Ha! That's funny.
So that was the major event of the week. I think Adam's favorite part was bath time. Thursday night, when I gave him a bath, he was all smiles. He splashed like crazy and would have stayed in the tub all night if I let him. I was so glad to be able to put cozy fleece feet jammies on him again since they didn't fit over his cast.
This weekend my parents took Mike and I and my sister and Eric to Annapolis to see Jesse Cook. We stayed overnight in a historic inn built in the 1700's! We had a really nice time and the weather this weekend is gorgeous!
After we picked the boys up from Finney's we had a fun filled, family day. First, we went for a walk/run on the rail trail. It was my first attempt at starting back at running. I LOVE to run, but finding the time is so hard now that I'm working. I'm determined to get back into it though. Adam wanted out of his stroller and had the best time running and picking up random things along the trail. I think he's just so happy to have his cast off. Then, we came home and played outside since it was so nice. This afternoon we took naps and then got pizza for dinner and played outside some more.
Santa brought this awesome remote control truck for Owen. Sometimes Owen needs to remind daddy that Santa brought it for HIM, not daddy :)
It is so much fun. It goes 30mph and Mike made huge jumps in the yard for the truck. I think we may need to get another one eventually so we can have races!
After we played outside we came in for baths. The boys took a bath together tonight (a first in a while) and I turned off the lights and put glow sticks in the tub. They LOVED it! Then, we got in our jammies and cuddled on the couch to watch Cars 2.
And now... I'm off to bed. Good night.
So that was the major event of the week. I think Adam's favorite part was bath time. Thursday night, when I gave him a bath, he was all smiles. He splashed like crazy and would have stayed in the tub all night if I let him. I was so glad to be able to put cozy fleece feet jammies on him again since they didn't fit over his cast.
This weekend my parents took Mike and I and my sister and Eric to Annapolis to see Jesse Cook. We stayed overnight in a historic inn built in the 1700's! We had a really nice time and the weather this weekend is gorgeous!
After we picked the boys up from Finney's we had a fun filled, family day. First, we went for a walk/run on the rail trail. It was my first attempt at starting back at running. I LOVE to run, but finding the time is so hard now that I'm working. I'm determined to get back into it though. Adam wanted out of his stroller and had the best time running and picking up random things along the trail. I think he's just so happy to have his cast off. Then, we came home and played outside since it was so nice. This afternoon we took naps and then got pizza for dinner and played outside some more.
And now... I'm off to bed. Good night.
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| I just had to add this picture... I was trying to get a picture of them before church this past Sunday. They were being very silly! |
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| Love this whale sweater. It was Owen's :) |
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Happy New Year!
I have been enjoying every moment of my time off work. I will definitely miss staying in my pj's all morning, sleeping in (yes, 6:30 is considered sleeping in for me), and playing with the boys.
Mike and I enjoyed a low-key night last night at home. We had a very yummy steak and crab cakes and were both asleep by 10pm. Lame, maybe, but perfect to me:)
Today we'll go to church, eat pork, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes for good luck in the new year, and enjoy the last couple days of our vacation.
And, hopefully it will be warm enough again to play outside! Adam now allows us to put on his "special shoe" so he can run and play outside. Thank goodness. He was getting super pale from lack of vitamin D :)
Happy New Year!!
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| Santa must have lost his mind when he got Adam a 4 Wheeler for Christmas! Thank goodness he isn't interested in riding it right now. I think Owen is glad for that too! |
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| I love his "Guess What?!?" face. Anytime he is excited about something or we say, "Adam, guess what?" he makes this face. |
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